Legend of Zelda x Fire Emblem: The Three Blades
by RagnaNarukami
Summary: Set After the event of Twilight Princess and Fire Emblem Awakening, Chrom and Robin encounter the Hero of Twilight under sacred circumstances. Their encounter is met with the arrival of a new threat to Hyrule. As the two groups band together, they must defend Hyrule against the attacks by the unknown enemy, and uncover the plot that lies behind the reunion of familiar characters.
1. Chapter 1

**Fire Emblem: The Three Blades**

 **Chapter 1: The Three Warriors**

 _ **Ordon Village**_

Link sat by his high window, staring out into the sky. It had been two months since he defeated Ganondorf, and Midna had left, now somewhere in the Palace of Twilight. Hyrule is at peace now, but that leaves the question: What does a hero do if there is nothing to save? He pondered this question frequently. He'd been to every corner of Hyrule, and to even another realm. He no longer possessed the Master Sword, and it he has not worn the hero's garb in weeks. Is he finally living a normal life? No Bokoblins attacking, and no dark dungeons.

Thinking about life, he slowly became drowsy. How late was it? He became drowsier, and drowsier, until his eyes closed, and he fell back on to the ground.

 ** _Unknown Realm_**

Link jolted up. He was clothed in the hero's garb and the Master Sword was sheathed on his back. Wherever he was appeared completely white, even the ground he stood on, almost as if he was floating. Two other figures faded in and out, as they began to wake up as well. One was in a dark robe with lacings of gold on it, in contrast to his pail white hair. The other person had blue hair, and was also wearing dark clothing, but had armor reinforcements and a draping cape. He carried a large sword, which did not look like it was of Hylian design.

When they were fully awake, they did not notice the presence of Link. They did not show any signs of distress, seeming like this has happened to them before. All Link could do was watch.

 ** _The Mind Link_**

"Alright, the mind link worked. Naga should be here," said Chrom.

"Why did she want to talk to us this time?" said Robin.

"Perhaps she can tell you now," said Naga, who slowly faded into the white room. "The sensitivity of this event has too high a risk of being exposed, so I must use the most private form of communication that I can use."

"Very clever. Only we can get in?" asked Robin.

"At the moment, yes. I must mark those who I allow in here with a symbol of trust in order for them to be here," she answered.

"Very covert, I must say," said Chrom.

"Now, on to business, I suppose," said Naga. "Time is a very sensitive thing. When it is tampered with, there can be, holes per say, through the universe. If someone were to follow through a hole, then they could end up crossing worlds."

"Holes in time and the universe? So we go to a world where Grima was permanently killed, or where I was, well, I don't know, a girl?" said Robin.

"I do not know. Despite my power, I cannot risk going through one of them," answered Naga.

Naga then looked to her left. A blur of waves emanated in the form of a human's body, like the waves from heat in the air. She was confused, as to what it was.

"Naga, you look a little distracted," said Robin.

Naga ignored Robin's comment and continued to stare. Robin and Chrom looked, but to no purpose. They couldn't see anything except for themselves.

"Pardon us, but I don't think there is anyone her except for the three of us," said Chrom.

After a brief silence, Naga finally spoke.

"It appears we are not alone," she said.

 ** _The Mind Link, Link's POV_**

Link was caught by surprise when Naga noticed him. He had no idea who these people were, except for Naga, who appeared to be a goddess. He listened in on their conversation, and became even more confused as Naga explained. How was it possible that he was in the Mind Link? Only those who had her "symbol of trust" could be here. As for the holes in time, he wondered if that is how he got here.

"Hold out your hand, whoever you are," said Naga.

Link held out his hand. The Triforce of Courage on his hand glowed. The light then rode around the outline of his body, fully revealing him, and making him visible to the three of them.

"A spy?!" said Chrom. He gripped Falchion harder and pulled it up.

"Wait, do not attack him. He is not hostile," said Naga.

"If he was, he probably would have attacked by now," added Robin.

Link and Chrom both eased up.

"How did you get here? You haven't received the symbol of trust," said Chrom.

"The mark on his hand maybe?" suggested Robin.

"Hold it out again," said Naga.

Link held out his hand again, with the backside of it facing Naga. The Triforce of Courage shined. Naga then grabbed Link's hand and it glowed bright enough to make everyone close their eyes.

"This is a mark of, great, courage," said Naga. "Power like this is greater than a simple symbol of trust. Tell me, what is your name?"

Link stood silently. They waited for a few seconds.

"Do you not remember it?" asked Robin.

Again, he was silent.

"If you wish to continue the silence, then maybe I can do something," said Naga.

She placed her hands on Link's temples, and pulled them back.

"Now, think of your name," she said.

"My name, is Link," he thought.

"Amazing, I can hear him. It's like I can hear his thoughts," said Robin. "Now that we can talk, Link, who are you exactly?"

"I am the Hero of Time, from the kingdom of Hyrule," he thought. "The triangle mark on my hand is the Triforce of Courage, which is only given to those worthy of it. There are two other parts to the Triforce. The Triforce of Wisdom, and the Triforce of Power."

"Hyrule, that doesn't sound familiar. It must be far from Ylisse," said Chrom.

"I've never heard of your kingdom either," thought Link.

"Your sword, it looks of eloquent design," said Naga.

Link pulled out the Master Sword. A metallic sound played as he took it out, while the light shined off its glistening edge.

"It is the Master Sword. It can only be wielded by a worthy person who has gone lengths to prove their courage. But to be quite honest, I returned the blade to its pedestal deep within the Sacred Grove. I do not know why I have it. I wasn't dressed in these clothes either," thought Link.

"That sounds much deeper than Chrom's sword," said Robin.

"Indeed. My sword Falchion is branded towards me and my descendants. Naga blessed it, and it then had the power to slay the powerful dragon known as Grima," said Chrom.

The three of them continued to talk about Hyrule and Ylisse, until Naga interrupted.

"Being the Hero of Time, you may have been placed into our mind link because someone else wanted you here. Perhaps, a god or goddess from your world?" suggested Naga.

"I'm not sure why I would be called here, but I'm sure about one thing: either your world or my world needs each other's help," thought Link.

As soon as Link thought that, he began to tense up and started staggering.

"Link!" yelled Chrom and Robin.

"This isn't good, his body in his world is in distress. I'm closing the mind link!" yelled Naga.

"Wait, don't!" shouted Robin.

Chrom and Robin grabbed on to Link as he lay in pain. The mind link closed as if someone turned the lights off, and they were in the real world when it was all darkness.

 ** _Ordon Village, Link's House_**

Link lied on the bottom floor of his house, right by his front door. A gaping blade wound ran across his entire upper body, and a small pool of blood sat right next to him. He was still alive though. He could just lie there, and wait for someone to come. Until someone came in, all he could here was the sound of his fireplace crackling and his slow, slow heartbeat.

Creek. The door opened a crack. In came in a blurry figure, with pale hair. Robin, perhaps? Link couldn't tell, and the room was getting darker. The person began to whisper to him or herself, but it was too quite to distinguish.

The question remained, which is who or what attacked Link while he was sleeping? Something with a blade, or a claw.

Link's House, Robin's POV

"Damn!, Link is out cold, and he has this huge wound on him. If only Lissa were here," said Robin.

Robin began to rummage through a small sack he was carrying, tied to his waist. The bottles clinked as he looked through. Then he pulled out a blue one, filled with some liquid, otherwise known as an Elixir. Robin slightly opened Link's mouth and poured it in.

"This will serve you better than it would for me," said Robin. "I wonder if whatever did this is still out there. And where's Chrom, still in Ylisse?"

Robin got up, and left Link on the floor. He stepped outside, into the dawn of the day. Down the ladder was Chrom, lying down, presumably unconscious. Robin put his hand on his arm, trying to wake him up.

"What, where's Link?" said Chrom.

"In there. I think we got transported into Hyrule," said Robin. "I gave him an elixir, so that should help with his wound. More importantly, what caused the wound?"

"I don't know, but we need Link to wake up. He might know," said Chrom.

They went back inside, and waited by the fireplace for Link to wake up.

* * *

 _So basically I wanted to make a Fire Emblem and Legend of Zelda crossover, but my knowledge of Fire Emblem is limited considering that the only game I played was Awakening. So we're gonna have to stick with the cast of Awakening and the characters from Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (my favorite Legend of Zelda game)._

 _As for Fire Emblem pairings, I'm probably gonna have Chrom paired with Sumia, and other characters that I paired together in my Awakening playthrough. As for Link himself, he probably won't be paired with anyone from LOZ or Fire Emblem._

 _The whole thing with Link talking with his mind, but not actually speaking, is gonna be for this chapter and maybe a few more only. I needed to get him to communicate some way, but in later chapters I'll have other characters speak for him (then again, there were dialogue options in Skyward Sword)._

 _-Kaz_


	2. Chapter 2: Unfamiliar Territory

**Chapter 2: Unfamiliar Territory**

Link shot back up, to see himself in his house in the early, bright, morning.

"D'you sleep well?" asked Chrom.

Link jumped after hearing Chrom's voice, and unsheathed the Master Sword. He saw Chrom and Robin waiting in front of him.

"You were attacked by something while you were in our mind link with Naga. She closed it down and we ended up in your house, I suppose," said Robin. "You were unconscious, so I gave you an elixir."

Link sheathed the Master Sword and nodded. All three of them stood up.

"You had a long wound, probably from some form of a blade," said Robin.

"..." (Link).

"If there weren't any of those creatures that you talk about, could it have been a person?" questioned Robin.

"..."(Link).

"You're right. We should check the rest of the village, incase the attacker decided to visit the village," said Chrom.

 **Ordon Village**

To the utter surprise of Link, Ordon Village was empty and partially in ruins. The door to the shop had been torn down and the short flags were left scorched on the ground. The water wheel was torn down as well, and it was jammed between the opposite shores of the creek. The pumpkins were squashed, with flies scouring the remains.

"Great Naga..." said Chrom.

"Hello!? Is anyone here?!" shouted Robin, as he walked further into the village.

"..."(Link).

The three of them walked into the ranch. The wooden fences were cut and burnt. Some of the cattle were dead on the ground, and some were cowering against the rocks, and appeared to be struck with some fear.

A thud drew their attention towards the barn. They slowly approached it. Robin held his tome, Arcfire, and stepped forward. Out burst Fado, the ranch owner that Link worked for. He came charging with a spear. Robin was almost about to use Arcfire on Fado, but Chrom knocked Robin out of the way and on to the ground. Link pulled out the Hylian shield and held it in front of him. Fado hit the shield, lost balance, and fell back.

"Link? You're alive?" said Fado."Who are these two?"

"..."(Link).

"What happened? Well, I was here at the ranch at night, and I heard the sound of a huge fire. I climbed up on the roof, and saw one of the shop in flames. Rusl charged in here with Colin and Uli, and told them to hide here. I grabbed this spear, and went with Rusl to see what was going on. There were these, reptile humans, with red eyes, and a thin purple gas around them. They had black hoods, and had swords. Rusl and I charged at them. We took out about five of them, but there were still a dozen more. They went into the houses, and took everyone. We came back to the ranch, and it turned out that Colin and Uli were taken too. Rusl, he was broken. He left this morning to go to Hyrule," explained Fado.

"..." (Link).

"Link, you got taken into the Mind Link, and you couldn't get out. This isn't your fault," said Chrom.

"Who are you too anyway?" asked Fado.

"I'm Chrom, and this is Robin. We're leaders of Ylisse, a distant kingdom," answered Chrom.

"Never heard of a place beyond Hyrule. Well, if Link trusts you, I guess I can trust you," said Fado.

* * *

 **In front of Link's House**

"..." (Link).

"We go to Hyrule Castle and see Zelda? I suppose, if we can get into the castle," said Robin.

"..." (Link).

"Well, I suppose saving the kingdom does have rewards," said Chrom.

* * *

 **Hyrule Castle Town**

"These streets are as busy as Ylisse's," said Robin.

"I wonder what it is like at night. I wonder if the town is still bustling then," questioned Chrom.

The three of them approached the main castle gate. The two guards recognized Link.

"..." (Link).

"Zelda did tell us that we should abide by your requests. We'll let you and your companions go through," said a guard.

The opened the gate, and the three of them walked through into the castle. They entered the front yard, where they saw Zelda walking through, guarded by seven soldiers.

"Your majesty, we have company. 'Tis Link, with two other men," said on of the soldiers.

"Standby, royal guards," said Zelda, as she walked towards Link. "Two pieces of the Triforce have come together again."

"..." (Link).

"Great Faron... all the villagers except a few. The man named Rusl has not come yet. We must act on this quickly. The attackers, they were reptilian with red eyes and thin purple smoke flowing around them? Perhaps it's documented somewhere in a scripture. Follow me," said Zelda.

 **Zelda's Chamber**

The four of them entered Zelda's room. She walked towards a bookcase where she searched for a certain book.

"This is the first time I've been in a woman's room," said Robin. "What about you Chrom?"

"I'm married to Sumia, remember? And, yes... I have been in her private room with her," replied Chrom.

"What did you two do in her room?" questioned Robin.

"Now isn't the time for this Robin," said Chrom.

Zelda came back with a red book, and opened up to halfway through it.

"The creature on this page fits your description," said Zelda.

On the page was a drawing of a humanoid figure, with the dark green reptilian skin. It was described with a purple smoke flowing around it, just like the attackers from the village.

"That's definitely it," said Robin.

"There isn't much about them, not even a definitive name. It just states that they are skilled with swords and throwing knives," said Zelda.

Link examined the page. An old map attached to the description of the creature caught his attention.

"..." (Link). He pointed out the map to Zelda.

"This? Oh, I think it is a map of places where they were drawn to. It's written in a dialect I cannot understand though, answered Zelda.

"..." (Link). He understood the writing. Something from a past memory, perhaps from the past Hero of Time.

"A Gerudo writing system? I've never heard of such a thing," said Zelda.

"It's probably a dead language," said Robin. "I mean the map shows that the place is an uninhabited desert."

"..." (Link). He explained that the writing said that the creatures were present in desert areas because of their reptilian skin.

"If we're gonna find answers, we should go there," said Chrom.

"I'll go with you," said Zelda.

"You're the leader of Hyrule though. We can't exactly walk through town without people following you," said Robin.

"That won't be a problem," she replied.

Zelda caused a bright aura to appear around her body, and when the aura cleared, she changed into Sheik.

"That's quite a disguise," said Robin.

"I'm not as restrained as I was in that dress," said Zelda.

"Well then, off to Gerudo," said Chrom.

* * *

Gerudo Desert

The four of them trekked through the sand, under the Sun which was setting. Slowly, the moon rose on the opposite direction.

"It's getting cooler, finally," said Robin.

They were getting closer towards Arbiter's Grounds, a temple built in the desert. On top of it was the Mirror Chamber, with what used to be the entrance to the Twilight Realm. Link looked up on the roof, and just saw the empty presence of the temple and the chamber. After all, Midna did destroy the Twilight Mirror, closing off the Twilight Realm.

"Hey guys get down!" said Chrom.

The four of them hid behind a large collapsed pillar. In front of them was an outpost that was in front of the temple. Instead of desert Bokoblins, the humanoid creatures were using it.

"Those creatures are there," said Chrom.

"I think we're walking into the belly of the beast here," said Robin. "Doesn't look like we can sneak past them."

"We should kill them off, but very quickly," said Zelda/Sheik.

Sheik dashed to another cover spot, while remaining silent and out of sight of the creatures. Link pulled out the Hero's Bow, and a few arrows. He looked out at the creatures. There about nine of them, and they were gathered around a campfire. Some were sharpening their swords, and others were eating a roasted meat of some sort, probably a boar. Link pulled and arrow through the drawstring, and aimed at one of them. Robin charged up his arcfire tome, and aimed at them as well.

Finally, Link let go and shot the arrow through the creature's chest. He collapsed and let out a deep scream. Robin shot his arcfire, and it hit two of the creatures staring at the creature that Link shot. That that was three down, and six left. Sheik jumped out from cover and hurled three needle-like projectiles at the remaining creatures. One of them threw a throwing knife at her. She gracefully dodged the knife, and threw three more needles at the creatures. All but one went down. The last one had dense metal armor that couldn't be penetrated. Chrom dashed to the creature and slashed it with Falchion.

"Falchion can cut through almost anything," said Chrom.

"It looks like there are more at the temple entrance," said Sheik.

The four of them approached the front of the temple. Chrom, Robin, and Link were armed with their swords, and Sheik was armed with a dagger, to Link's surprise. They charged to the entrance, and encountered four of the creatures: Three small ones, and one big one, with a heavy sword and heavy armor. Robin eliminated the three creatures with his arcfire. The remaining creature lifted his sword and began to smash it down on Link. He swiftly held the Hylian Shield in front of him. Link held his ground as the sword hit, with a loud clang. Robin proceeded to use a bolganonne time on it. The tome inflicted damage, but the creature did not flinch from it.

The creature lifted his sword. Sheik threw a few needles, but they didn't penetrate the armor. She then jumped on to the creature's head, and tried to dig her knife into his kneck. It threw her off, and Sheik fell to the ground.

"We can't hurt him while he still has that armor on!" said Robin.

"..."(Link). He had an idea.

Link took out his bomb arrows. He shot one of them at the creature's chestplate. The bomb detonated, and the front part of the chestplate became brittle, and fell off of its body. Chrom used this advantage and slashed across the creature's chest with Falchion. The cut marks burned into the creature's chest. This weakened the creature, and it fell on its knees, holding on to the sword to stay up. Sheik jumped on to it's head, and tore the helmet off.

"Link, quickly, use your sword!" Sheik said.

Link ran behind it and climbed up its back, and thrusted the Master Sword through its neck. He backflipped off, pulling the sword out. The creature fell to the ground, dead and defeated.

"..." (Link). The creature wasn't one of them. It was a large bokoblin.

"Why use your own, when you can just put heavy armor on a large bokoblin and send him out with a sword," said Robin.

"We have to keep moving. We lost the element of stealth," said Chrom.

Link felt a sudden rush of thoughts in his mind, as if someone was talking to him. They all said to go to the Mirror Chamber. Link pointed up to the Mirror Chamber.

"What makes you say that?" asked Chrom.

"I can hear it too. There is definitely something at the chamber," said Zelda.

The Mirror Chamber

"Does anyone else see what I am seeing right now?" Robin said.

There were a dozen of the creatures, and all of them were kneeling, facing the Mirror holder. They were oblivious to the four of them. They appeared to be dulled by something.

One minor detail shocked Sheik and Link. The Mirror of Twilight was somehow partially repaired, despite being disintegrated and shattered by Midna.

"The Mirror of Twilight, it's..." Sheik said.

"What does the Mirror do?" Robin asked.

"It was a portal that connected the Light World to the Twilight Realm. A shadow being known as Zant usurped power of the Twilight Realm. He morphed his own kind into Shadow Beasts, and invaded Hyrule with them and shrouded It in Twilight. Link managed to defeat him, and take back Hyrule. Link's shadow companion, Midna, then regained power of the Twilight Realm. When we watched her go through the Mirror portal, she shattered the mirror, forever severing any connections between the realms," explained Sheik.

"..." (Link). It's only halfway complete, so it can't be used.

"Even if it was complete, we might not end up in the same Twilight Realm that Link went to," said Sheik.

"What about these creatures here? We can't leave them," said Chrom.

"I can handle that," said Sheik.

Sheik threw needles at the creatures, in two instances. They fell without a struggle, and weren't even alerted when one of them died.

"Should we shatter the mirror?" Robin asked.

They were silent at the question. They didn't know what they should do with the Mirror. The force that repaired the mirror is probably still alive, and he, she, or it may pose a threat.

If the mirror were to be fully repaired, Zelda and Link could see Midna again. Then again, they don't know what occurs in the Twilight Realm. The Twili could be at war, and it could slip into the Light world.

After careful consideration, they agreed to their choice.


	3. Chapter 3: The Incursion

**Chapter 3: The Incursion**

 **Hyrule Castle**

The four of them had stayed at the Mirror Chamber for the rest of the night, and returned the Hyrule Castle the day after.

They stood at the castle's balcony, under the sky that was slowly becoming darker. Link and Zelda pondered whether or not it was a good idea to just leave the Twilight Mirror. Their deep thought was then interrupted by Robin.

"Now that I think about it, the creatures kind of look like Risen," said Robin.

"Except darker and with a more black to their appearance," added Chrom.

"Hey, Link, what did those Twilight demons look like?" asked Robin.

"..." (Link).

"Completely black. Well, since we don't have any other thing to call them, we could call them Twili Risen," suggested Robin.

"Until we find out if they have a proper name, I suppose that Twili Risen would work," said Zelda.

"We should get inside. It's almost night," said Chrom. "It would be the perfect time to execute an assassination attempt."

"What makes you say that?" asked Zelda.

"Because someone did try to assassinate Chrom at night," said Robin.

* * *

 **The Castle Armory**

Robin and Link entered the armory. Robin was astounded by what it contained. Link surveyed the room and took a few arrows and the hawk eyes mask.

At the far end of the room was a book labeled "The TriArc." Robin picked the tome up and took it for himself.

"Hey Link, the guards said we could take two things from here, right?" Robin asked.

"..." (Link). Link assured Robin.

"Okay. Just making sure," he replied.

* * *

 **The Castle Foyer**

Zelda and Chrom stood in the castle foyer.

"How did you end up in Hyrule?" asked Zelda.

"Robin and I were talking to our Goddess, Naga. She had us link our minds to form the most private form of communication," explained Chrom. "Link was somehow brought into the mind link. There was a distress in Link's village, and Naga was forced to close the mind link. Then we were dragged through a hole in time into Hyrule."

"I've never heard of the Goddess Naga," said Zelda.

"Who do you worship here?"

"Faron, Din, and Nayru. They all symbolize courage, power, and wisdom. Let me ask you something: who is the ruler of your kingdom?"

"I am. I'm the Exalt of Ylisse. I rule with my wife, Sumia. Wait... she must be worried. Robin and I have been gone for a while."

"To get back, it appears that you just have to pass through another hole in time."

"We'd need to find one first."

Just as Chrom spoke, a group of seven soldiers rushed to the balcony to alert Zelda.

"You're highness, there are two intruders in the castle. We must get you to a safer place," said one of the soldiers.

"Bring me to my private quarters. I want the castle locked down as well," said Zelda.

"Right away, your highness," said the soldier.

The one soldier ran off to alert the gatekeepers. The remaining soldiers created a perimeter around Zelda, holding their shields, swords, or spears, ready to attack whatever was in the castle. They exited the foyer to Zelda's room.

* * *

 **The Castle Corridors**

The guards had alerted Link and Robin about the intruders. The guards insisted on protecting Link and Robin, but they said that they could handle themselves. They exited the armor and started patrolling the castle.

The moonlight seeped through dark clouds, and through the tall windows of the castle's corridor. The dim light from the torches added a bit more light, but it wasn't enough to remove the eerie atmosphere. They reached the end of the corridor, where it then split into two paths. Link told Robin to choose the left path, which would lead to the Zelda's room. Link followed the path that lead to the series of staircases that lead to the castle foyer.

The dark clouds were heavier, but there were chandeliers with candles, so there was a source of sufficient light in the room. Then, a heavy thunderstorm slowly crept in.

Link continued his patrol, and stopped after one flight of stairs. Two guards, both of them unconscious, but not dead, as there was no blood on the floor. He walked cautiously past the bodies, and farther down the staircase. He could sense that someone was there, close to him, maybe above him. A person agile enough could scale the walls using some of the indented and empty spots. Link readied his sword and shield. Someone is behind me, he said to himself. With any hesitance, he turned around and performed a shield bash. His shield collided with another blade. The intruder. They had a dark blue mask on, and was clothed in blue clothing and a thin layer of armor.

"I... don't want to hurt you... I'm just trying to get out of here," the intruder said, with a somewhat feminine voice.

The intruder was either a woman or a man with a feminine voice.

"..."(Link). Link said that she wasn't going to escape while he was still there.

"Fine. I guess I'll hold back on the sword hits," she said, as she withdrew her sword, and struck again.

Link held up his shield again, and then pushed her back. He swung his sword with a horizontal strike, but she evaded it by dashing backwards. She swung her sword at Link, with a vertical strike. Link blocked it with the Master Sword, and he finally got a clearer view of the sword. It was Chrom's sword. How could she have gotten it, unless she reached Chrom already. The thought of it confused and angered Link.

"Your sword and your shield, unlike any kind I've seen. My sword would have been powerful enough to cut through a cheap sword like that," she said.

"..."(Link). She insulted the Master Sword. Now Link is angry.

He went for a full jump strike. The impact on her sword was strong enough to make the her fall on her back, struggling to keep Link's sword at bay. She swept Link's legs causing him to fall. She could kill him, but she wasn't going to. At the moment, she was going to flee, but Link pulled out his clawshot, and it grabbed her before she could get out of reach. She was dragged down, and restrained by the clawshot.

"..."(Link). He said he'd never killed a person before, unless you count Ganondorf and Zant.

"I'm not being your first," she said.

Link had the opportunity to kill her, but he genuinely couldn't. His conscience was telling him not to. It wasn't because she was a woman. Everything he had killed in the past was always a dark creature of some sort.

Link pulled the clawshot away. She stood back up, and faced Link, with her sword lowered.

"You really can't kill a person," she said, as thunder from the storm struck. "Your outfit, it isn't like the others. You don't look like a soldier at all."

Link swiftly held his sword, parallel to the ground, with the tip inches away from the intruder's face. He asked why she was there.

"Wouldn't I like to know the answer to that too," she responded.

Link responded and said that she had to come with him.

"I'm getting out of this damn castle, thank you."

She swiftly swung her sword at Link's, knocking it out of the way. Link countered and shield bashed her, really hard. She staggered back, and fell unconscious. Link sheathed his sword and his shield. He took the mask off of her.

"..."(Link). He thought that she looked like a female version of Chrom.

He picked her body up, and then proceeded to carry her body away, and headed to find Zelda.

* * *

 **The Soldier's Mess Hall**

"This place is empty. Not a single guard," Robin said to himself. "Well I guess that is what happens when there are two intruders in the castle."

Robin had been the only one in the mess hall, and the only sounds were the fireplace cracklings and his footsteps on the cobblestone floor. He walked through the aisles of the wooden tables, and towards the fireplace. He sat down on a seat by the fireplace and the cauldron by it. He looked inside. Nothing but water.

"It is quite peaceful and relaxing in here," he said. "Although I should get back to my patrol."

He got up and walked out into the castle hall. He walked down farther, and saw two other guards. They looked back at Robin, and then resumed their search. Robin thought it would be a good idea to pull out his iron sword, since he didn't bring any weapons that could channel magic. He only had arcfire, arcthunder, and TriArc.

At the door of the mess hall in the corridor, Robin looked back and saw that the door was open, just a few cracks. He closed the door when he left, although it was surprising that someone could open it without making any noise. It had to be one of the intruders. If it were a soldier, he or she wouldn't care whether Robin was there or not.

Robin opened the door, with a soft prolonged creak. He wanted the intruder to know that someone else was in the room. He saw the same empty room. The intruder might not have gone in, and maybe Robin just didn't close the door all the way. He scanned the room for any changes that might have been made. It took him a few moments, but a stool had been knocked down, and one of the skillets for the cauldron was missing (there were three. Before Robin remembered that there were four). Robin readied his sword, and slowly walked towards the other end of the room.

Suddenly, the missing skillet whizzed past Robin's head, and only a mere inch away from impaling his left cheek.

"That was a warning shot," said the intruder.

"Get up. Reveal yourself," Robin said.

A hooded figure came out. He was dressed in black armor, which was probably very light, which allowed the intruder to enter quietly.

"Robin? How are you here?" asked the Intruder, as they pulled down their cloak. It was Gerome, the child of Frederick and Cherche.

"Gerome? You're the intruder? Also, I have the same question. How are you here?" questioned Robin.

"Everyone in Ylisse was worried. You and Chrom have been gone for four days, after your meeting with Naga. On top of that, there are these peculiar portals opening up. Lucina and I entered one in Ylisse's castle, and ended up here," explained Gerome. "I've been chased by guards the whole night. I didn't kill anyone, but I did have to get rough."

"Chrom and I ended up here after our meeting with Naga," said Robin. "We should probably clear this up with Link and Zelda."

"Who?"

"I'll explain later."

* * *

 **The Throne Room**

Zelda and Chrom left to the throne room, after a guard alerted her that one of the intruders was caught. Soon enough, Link, Zelda, Chrom, and Robin reunited at the throne room. Robin entered with Gerome.

"Robin! And Gerome? How is he here?!" said Chrom.

"He was dragged through a rip in time, like us," answered Robin. "He was one of the two intruders."

"You say two intruders. I suppose the second one is Lucina," said Gerome.

"Lucina is here too? Wait, the guard said that Link got to one of the intruders," said Chrom.

"I'm sure he didn't kill her," said Robin.

Afterwards, Link entered with Lucina, who was awake and had her hands chained, and accompanied by the head guard of the castle.

"Lucina!" yelled Chrom and Gerome, simultaneously.

They both ran over to her, much to Link's confusion.

"Let her go, she's my daughter," said Chrom.

"I can't sir," said the guard.

"Let her go, under my authority," ordered Zelda.

"Well then, I guess we're letting an intruder go," said the guard. He unchained her hands.

Lucina proceeded to go to Gerome. Chrom awkwardly stood and watched for a few seconds.

"So, how long has that been going on?" Chrom said.

"Well, uh, actually for a while now..." Lucina replied.

"Does Frederick know about this?" Robin jokingly said.

"You stay out of this..." Gerome said.

"..."(Link). He said that they have a lot of catching up to do. He then awkwardly apologized to Lucina for attacking her.

* * *

 **The Castle Foyer**

The six of them recapped on everything that occurred, up until that point. Everyone in Ylisse believed that the portals are where Chrom and Robin ended up, so Lucina and Gerome went through one. If they didn't come back within a week, they would have to assume that Chrom, Robin, Lucina, and Gerome were dead.

"I believe we are missing something: what if the portals work in two ways?" said Zelda.

"Even if that was true, then we'd have to find a portal that leads to Ylisse's castle," said Gerome.

"How did the portal appear in the castle? Spontaneously?" asked Robin.

"I don't recall exactly, but I do remember that my sword lit up when it opened," said Lucina.

"Our Falchions aren't lit up now. Do we just have to find a place where they do?" suggested Chrom.

"Maybe we don't need a Falchion. Maybe a Master Sword will solve the problem," suggested Zelda. "Link, hold out your sword, and try to summon your piece of the Triforce."

Link held the Master Sword in his left hand, and his piece of the Triforce glowed on his left hand. The sword's blade began to reflect a light, which reflected on to the ceiling of the foyer. The portal began to creep in, bit by bit, like a twilight portal. At its full elliptical size, it emitted a solid black pattern on to the floor of equal size, with small bright rays peeking out of the floor light.

"I think we just made a tear in time," said Robin. "Shall we go through?"

"..." (Link). He couldn't stay. He still had to deal with the Twili Risen, and find the villagers of Ordon. Although, he said he understood that they had to go back to Ylisse.

"We'll be back. That I can assure," said Chrom. "Until we meet again, hopefully, united against the Twili Risen."

Chrom, Robin, Lucina, and Gerome left through the tear by kneeling within the black pattern.

"..."(Link). Link told Zelda that he had to leave. When she asked where he would go, he said to meet some old friends.

* * *

 _Damn that was long. As you can guess, I paired Lucina and Gerome together in my Fire Emblem: Awakening playthrough._

 _-Kaz_


	4. Chapter 4: Hidden in Not-So Plain Sight

**Chapter 4: Hidden in Not-So Plain Sight**

 **The Hidden Village, one month after Ganondorf's defeat**

The long forgotten Hidden Village use to have one resident: Impaz, the last Sheikah in Hyrule. Link encountered her when he was searching for a place the Ilia spoke of, when she was trying to regain her memory. Impaz was waiting for "the Messenger of the Heavens," which turned out to be Link.

After Ganondorf was defeated, Link returned to the Hidden Village. Sometimes to avoid some of his troubles in life, so he could sit and watch time go by, in the peacefulness of the empty village. Impaz would often talk to Link, revealing some of her life to him.

"I used to be a healer, when I was younger. Would it surprise you that I am ninety-three years old?" she said to Link.

"..." (Link).

"You don't talk much, do you?"

"..."(Link). He said no, and that he wasn't the "Messenger of the Heavens," or the Hero of Time anymore. He already defeated Zant and Ganondorf. Now, he was just a villager that worked on a ranch.

"Just because something may be over, it doesn't mean that your life is as well. Only if you make it that way. Show me that cut on your arm," said Impaz.

Link was trying to calm a wild oxen at the ranch, and the oxen's horn cut his arm. Impaz pulled out a tubular satchel, and took a handful of a liquid that was in it. She drizzled the liquid on the cut, and chanted something that was indistinguishable for Link. The liquid was then absorbed into the cut, and the cut sealed, although, it wasn't a pretty sight to see.

"See? I still have some Sheikah left in me," Impaz said.

* * *

 **Castle of Ylisse, Present Time**

Robin, Chrom, Lucina, and Gerome returned to the Ylisse Castle at night, and in the castle foyer.

"We're in the foyer. It's like the portals lead to corresponding places between each kingdom," said Robin.

"If that's true, that will be useful," said Chrom.

Lon'qu entered the room, with Vaike, Stahl, Gregor, Cordelia and Gaius. They were all armed, but they lowered their weapons when they saw the four of them.

"Damn, you guys are alive!" said Vaike.

"We thought you two were dead," Lon'qu said the Chrom and Robin.

"Where the hell have you been?" said Gaius.

"A kingdom called Hyrule," said Robin.

"Where were you?" said Gregor.

"This is a long story," said Gerome.

"Yeah, it is. Chrom, Robin, you were gone for three days," said Cordelia. "Sumia was worried, since she didn't know what happened after your meeting with Naga."

Later, in the upper levels of the castle, Chrom met with Sumia, and reconciled with her after being gone for three days. He was also filling her in about Hyrule.

"In a distant kingdom, you met a warrior of that kingdom, named Link?" she said.

"He skills were amazing. He bested Lucina when they fought," Chrom said. "He and Princess Zelda helped us get back to Ylisse."

"Who's this Princess Zelda?"

"The ruler of Hyrule."

"Why didn't Link want to come through here?"

"I told you about his village. He said he had to find his people, and- wait, I didn't tell you about the Twili Risen."

"Twili Risen?"

"They appear to be Risen, but much darker, and they are the creatures that attacked Link's village. Robin and I plan on going back to help him."

"If so, you'll need some help. I want to go with you."

"But, our young present Lucina, she needs her mother."

"It won't be for long. Besides, we have a way to travel between the two kingdoms. If things get rough, I can just come back."

"Ok... but neither of us can get killed."

"Oh, you stop worrying!"

* * *

 **Kakariko Village**

After Ganondorf's defeat Kakariko Village remained in peace. The children from Ordon Village eventually returned to Ordon Village. The Gorons created walls, blocking the only two entrances to the village. At the walls were catapaults, capable of throwing bombs, made by Barnes. They now had a much stronger defense.

Link traveled to the village from Hyrule to seek out the help of Renado, the shaman and leader of Kakariko Village. Renado might know of the Twili Risen. He got off Epona in front of the sanctuary, and met Renado and Gor Coron, a Goron Elder.

"Hero of Time, it has been far too long since we last saw you," said Gor Coron.

"..."(Link). He said he needed help. He brought the corpse of a Twili Risen into the sanctuary, and much to Renado and Gor Coron's confusion. Link then asked if they knew anything about it.

"I have to think far back. Perhaps, one of my ancestors has experience with this," said Coron.

"Is it... dead?" asked Renado.

"I think I might know something. The memory is very feint and distant... yes, I remember now. It was before the Shadow Invasion. Renado, you know of the Twilight Realm, yes?" said Coron.

"Yes. I believed it was a myth until the invasion," said Renado.

"Good. Years ago, there were old campfire stories about large traveling groups in Hyrule Field. A man who claimed to witness them said they were struck by a black portal above them, and dark rays struck their hearts. They screamed in pain, but rose back up as black humanoid creatures. A group of Hylian soldiers investigated it, but they were never heard from again," Coron said. "But, those are just urban legends."

"Who was the witness?" asked Renado.

"I believe it was some crazy mailman," answered Coron. "Other than that, I know nothing of the thing."

"The Twilight presence in the creature is, very strong. I can feel it. Wait, there's something inside of the Twilight. Almost like, a feeling of hatred," said Renado.

"That might be helpful," said Coron. "Link, since you've had experience with the Twilight Realm, have you encountered something that had a strong sense of hatred?"

"..."(Link). Just as Coron connected the Twilight Realm and hatred, Link could only think of one thing, or Twili being perhaps: Zant, the Usurper King.

"Zant. He turned his own kind into demons," said Renado. "With such a strong presence of hatred, the creature has to be connected to Zant. He is dead, but maybe, these creatures were created before his demise."

"..." (Link). He said he'll have to look into it.

* * *

 **Telma's Bar**

Link went to the Castle Town, and to Telma's Bar, the base of the Resistance. Shad and Auru were the only one in there. Telma wasn't even there. Again, Link brought the dead body inside.

"Uh, if you're looking for a place to stash a dead body, you can't do it here," said Shad.

"..."(Link). He said it wasn't human, and that he really needed help. He asked if they knew anything about it.

"It's oddly black," said Shad. "Is it from the Twilight Realm?"

Link said yes, and that it was connected to Zant somehow.

"I remember seeing something like this in a book about creatures. Though, I no longer have it. I gave it to a person I used to tutor," said Auru.

"I think there were a few legends about human-like creatures that were black. I don't know if they were connected to Zant though," said Shad. "One of them said that they were playthings of the Twili. I'm not sure if that was what this is though."

"Judging from his clothing, he seems to be dressed to traverse a rugged terrain. The boots and the dense armor, which could be useful incase of a fall," said Auru.

Auru took one of the boots off, and looked inside. He flipped the boot and dirt fell out of it, on to Auru's hand. He examined the soil.

"It feels moist. It is either sweat or soil from a moist area. Considering that it must be drying out over some period of time, it must be from a very wet environment," said Auru.

Link had already been to the spring in Kakariko Village and the Ordana Spring. The only major water sources he hadn't visited were Lake Hylia and The Zora River.

"Lake Hylia? I haven't been there for some time. Maybe it is time I check there," said Auru.

"..."(Link). Link said thanks, and said he'd check the Zora River.

"Meet back here. Shad, I'll need you to come with me incase we encounter some of these creatures," said Auru.

"Ok. I have nowhere else to go," replied Shad.

* * *

 **The Zora River**

The Twili Risen had to have come from someplace with little to no living creatures in the area. It couldn't be far north, because of the Zoras. They are strong enough to defeat a group of Twili Risen. That narrowed their location down to somewhere near Hena's Fishing Hole and Iza's shop.

At this time, it was late at night, so Link had to be careful about his actions, which meant that he couldn't use his lantern. He crept to the ledge with the howling stone, and noticed a ladder. There wasn't a ladder there before, unless Iza put it there. He looked down to where it was placed, and saw a fairly-sized stone ledge that a human could walk on. On it, on the side farther from the water, was a torch. Definitely ominous. Link picked up a pebble and threw it on to the stone ledge, and moved back a bit, to decrease his visibility. The sound echoed into something, a cave probably, which would bypass the loud sounds projected by the river. Soon enough, something, with a human figure, walked out after hearing the pebble fall. The person took the torch and started looking around. Link crouched and crept into the tall grass, and hid inside it. The person climbed up the ladder with the torch, and surveyed with the dim light.

The person took out a flask, and poured some of the liquid on to the torch. The flame grew brighter, so the liquid must have been an oil of some sort. Link had hidden far back in the tall grass, and the person was standing directly in front of the howling stone. Link looked at the person, since the light was brighter. It was a Twili Risen. He had a dagger and what appeared to be a crossbow. Link couldn't move, or else he risked getting spotted. The Twili Risen looked to his left, and started moving in that direction. It wasn't leading towards Link, it was leading to Epona. Link had gotten off Epona, and she stayed there. She became uneasy when the Twili Risen approached her.

Link slowly pulled it his bow and arrow, trying not to make any loud sounds. He aimed an arrow at the Twili Risen, and the sound of the drawstring made the Risen turn. It still didn't notice Link, but it moved closer and readied its crossbow. Link calmly shot the arrow through the Risen's chest, killing it. Link pushed the body off the cliff, and into the river. Afterwards, he climbed down the ladder, and threw the torch in there to see what lit up. Not much lit up, just a corridor. Then he heard footsteps coming to investigate the sound of the torch falling. They sounded far into the cave, since the majority of the footsteps were comprised of echoes. Link hurried up the ladder, and quickly led Epona into Hena's Fishing Hole. Fortunately for him, the Twili Risen didn't set up an outpost in there. He barricaded the door to the fishing hole with a log, and put slim clumps of grass under the door to jam it.

All that was left for him was to fall asleep. It was definitely past midnight. Hena wasn't at her fishing store, so Link lied under a tree. Slowly, his mind drifted away, and he fell asleep.

...

...

...

 **The Fishing Hole, Morning**

Fortunately, the Twili Risen didn't try to enter the fishing hole. Link was able to leave the fishing hole and the river without pulling his sword it. They were probably still in the cave, not wanting to expose their location. He left for Hyrule Castle to alert Zelda of the cave.

* * *

 **Hyrule Castle, the Foyer**

Link met with Zelda, and brought the hidden cave to her attention, since it wasn't listed in Link's map. To their knowledge, Link's map is the most advanced and updated, compared the few that remained, after a lot of maps were destroyed by Zant and Ganondorf.

"..?" (Link). Link asked if Chrom and Robin came back when he was gone.

"No, they didn't," she answered.

"..." Link said that he doesn't know how many Twili Risen are in the cave, and that he may need people to go with him.

"Why not the Hylian Army?"

"..." He said that they should remain at the Castle Town, guarding the most populated part of Hyrule.

"Fair enough. We can only hope that Chrom and Robin will come back."

"..." Link said that something tells him they might not have to wait too long. From the foyer balcony, they could see a small light hole, gradually getting bigger.

"And it appears, that two sacred swords have met again," said Zelda.

* * *

 **Ylisse Castle, the Foyer**

Chrom amassed a small unit of his allies, who fought with him against Gangrel, Walhart, and Grima.

(List of characters: Chrom, Robin, Lucina, Gerome, Frederick, Morgan, Lon'qu, Gaius, Cordelia, Sumia, Gregor, Panne, and six soldiers of Ylisse's Army)

"We're here to help Link and Zelda, against the threat of the Twili Risen. Just know, it is difficult to travel between Ylisse and Hyrule, since you need Link to open a tear in time, and it has to be at Hyrule Castle. If you want to stay, you're welcome to," said Chrom.

No one had any objections.

"If there aren't any discrepancies, shall we?" said Robin.

Chrom held out Falchion in the air, and closed his eyes. He opened them again, with the Brand of the Exalt glowing in his eye, and Falchion simultaneously radiating a red light. The tear in time opened beneath them. Readily, they kneeled, and slowly dissipated through the tear.

* * *

 **Hyrule Castle**

The eighteen warriors from Ylisse faded into the castle. Link and Zelda were there, waiting as they quickly faded in through the tear in time. Chrom looked up, as everyone had completely come in. Chrom and Robin stood up, as they greeted Link and Zelda.

"I did say we'd be back," said Chrom.

"And with company, I see," said Zelda.

"There are actually a lot more. We just brought fourteen others," said Robin." I suppose we should introduce everyone."

"Right," said Chrom.

Chrom introduced his allies to Link and Zelda. They told them about their areas of expertise. Gaius, Lon'qu, and Gregor were trained assassins. Robin introduced Morgan, his daughter, who is a tactician like Robin. Chrom introduced Frederick, one of his closest advisors and soldiers, and Sumia, Chrom's wife. Cordelia and Panne introduced themselves.

"I can transform into a, rather large rabbit," said Panne.

"...?" (Link).

"Let me show you," said Panne.

She used her beaststone. She transformed into her Taguel-rabbit form. Link and Zelda were amazed by it.

"Amazing, it's similar to your wolf form, Link," said Zelda.

"..." (Link). He said that he couldn't do that anymore.

"Still, I've never seen such a seamless transformation into something so..." said Zelda.

"Beastly?" said Panne.

"No, not beastly. Elegant, rather," said Zelda.

* * *

"..." Link said he started searching for the Twili Risen. He found a cave that they seem to be using at the Zora River.

"How long will it take to get there?" asked Chrom.

"..." (Link). He said that if they left in the morning tomorrow, they'll reach the river in about an hour.

"It'd be faster on a horse," said Frederick.

"..."(Link). He said the trip isn't that arduous.

"So are we leaving tomorrow?" asked Robin.

Link shook his head yes.

"What are doing in the meantime, if we aren't leaving until tomorrow?" asked Gaius.

"..." (Link). He told them that they should wander around castle town for a bit, if the wanted to. He had other business to attend to himself.

"The castle is open to you as well," said Zelda.

"I suppose you have a place to get something to drink, yes?" Gregor asked.

"..." (Link). He said there's a bar at down the southern street, in an alley to his right. That's actually where Link was going.

"Then I'll go with you. Anyone else care to join?" said Gregor.

"I wouldn't mind," said Gerome.

"I think I need to go somewhere more open, with less people," said Panne.

"Chrom and I can take you to Hyrule Field," said Robin.

"I want to see the castle," said Sumia.

"So do I," said Cordelia.

"I can show you around," said Zelda.

They all split up, going to different places.

* * *

 **Hidden Village, Two Months after Ganondorf's defeat**

"Before I die, I want to see her... one more time," said Impaz. "Her name is Sheik."

"..." (Link). He said he thought she was the last Sheikah.

"Oh, well, she isn't exactly a Sheikah. I guess you would call it an alter ego," Impaz replied. "Just tell her... that Impaz wants to see her. She is somewhere in Castle Town."

"..." (Link). He asked what her real name was.

"...Zelda," replied Impaz.


	5. Chapter 5: The Assault

**Chapter 5 Part 1: Before the Assault**

 **Note: You are free to skip to Part 2 of Chapter 5. Part 1 is just an extra thing I added.**

 **Telma's Bar**

Link entered the bar, accompanied by Gregor and Gerome. The bar was open, with Telma and the usual patrons, Shad, Auru, and Ashei.

"Link! It's great to see you. I haven't seen you for months," said Telma.

"..." (Link). He said he's been kind of busy at Ordon Village.

"So, who are these two men?" she asked.

"..." (Link). Gerome and Gregor. He said they weren't from Hyrule. Then he said that Gregor wanted a drink.

"Well this IS a bar," said Telma.

"Seems kind of shady. I mean it is in a back alley," said Gerome. "Though, I wouldn't mind a drink myself."

"..."(Link). He handed them a few red rupees and a few yellow ones, and said to get whatever they could with that.

"Erm, I'm not familiar with this type of currency. We use gold in Ylisse," said Gerome.

"Don't worry, I'll figure out what you can get," said Telma.

"Um, thanks," said Gerome.

Link walked over to the Resistance table.

"Well, the Hero of Time has returned," said Ashei.

"Actually, he came back a few days ago, asking us about a corpse he had," said Shad.

"Really? Damn, I picked the wrong day to go to Gerudo," said Ashei.

"..." (Link). He asked what Ashei was doing in Gerudo.

"Investigating stories of weird creatures. Found a bunch of their corpses. Something got to them before me," said Ashei.

"That something was Link," said Auru.

"..."(Link). He said he killed the creatures, in search of the missing residents of Ordon Village.

"They're gone? So that's why Rusl hasn't been here..." said Ashei.

"Well he isn't gone. He just left on this big thing to find the residents," said Shad.

"And none of you have heard from him?" asked Ashei.

"..." (Link). He said no. Link then proceeded to tell Auru about the hidden cave at the Zora River.

"A cave by the river? I lead you in the right direction, didn't I," said Auru.

"..." (Link). He said they were planning to attack the Twili Risen at the cave the next day. He asked if they would be able to go, to investigate whatever cryptic things they find.

"Tomorrow in the morning? Well, we don't have anything else to do, other than chasing cold leads on the Fused Shadows," said Shad. "I think we can go. Auru, Ashei, what about you two?"

"Better than going to Snowpeak, or Gerudo. I can go," said Ashei.

"I'm not sure that I'm in a condition to fight," said Auru. "I'm an old man. Older than that middle-aged fellow you brought with ya."

"..." (Link). Link said that Auru didn't have to go, and that it was fine. He told Ashei and Shad that he would meet them at Castle Town's Eastern exit the next day.

* * *

 **Southern Market Street, an hour before sunset**

"You know one thing about market places like these at night?" said Gaius.

"Enlighten me," said Lon'qu.

"There are always merchants that are horrible at paying attention to their items," said Gaius.

"Do you seriously want to get captured for taking a loaf of bread, and hiding it in your pants?" said Lon'qu.

"That was one time. And I would have gotten away if Gregor didn't get in my way."

"Don't take anything. Seriously. Hyrule doesn't even use our currency. Gerome saw the vault of the castle. They have these colored crystals instead of gold."

"Crystals, you say?"

"Ugh, why do I talk to you?"

"Hey Lon'qu, look over there by that one bread stand."

"A bread stand. Really?"

"No, seriously, look! That dude with the black cape. It looks like he's threatening someone for money."

Gaius had pointed out a man with a black cape and a ruffian's outfit. He had a sheath at his left side, and was holding a large dagger against a bread merchant. The merchant reluctantly gave the man a purple rupee, two red rupees, and two yellow rupees. Lon'qu surveyed the market street for the Hylian soldiers in the area. Most of them weren't aware of the ruffian, but there was one he was watching the whole thing happen. Yet, he didn't move a muscle.

"Don't these damn guards catch this stuff? One of them is watching it happen," said Lon'qu.

"He just got a load of money. We should follow him," said Gaius.

The thief walked into the side alley, and, coincidentally, the one where that one guard was, the one who was watching him. A few seconds after the thief walked out of sight, the guard went to another guard, and asked him to cover his spot for a minute or so. Then he went into the side alley.

"That guard might be following the thief. I want to see what happens," said Gaius.

Gaius and Lon'qu maneuvered through the crowd into the side alley. There, they found the thief talking to the guard. There weren't any people in the alley, and it was quiet enough for them to eavesdrop.

"That is fifty for you, and fifty for the other guard," said the thief, as he handed the guard the rupees.

"That's it," Lon'qu angrily said.

Lon'qu walked, with heavy footsteps to make his presence known. The thief and the guard turned their heads to Lon'qu.

"Where'd you get those rupees?! From a merchant while holding a dagger to his kneck?!" shouted Lon'qu.

"Mind your own damn business, ya punk," said the thief.

"I'm gonna ask you to leave sir, this is private business-" said the guard.

"So the thief is tipping you and the other guard off? So he can get away with stealing?!" shouted Lon'qu. He unsheathed his sword. "I don't think so."

"I said, mind your DAMN BUSINESS!" shouted the thief, as he thrusts his dagger at Lon'qu.

Lon'qu blocks the attack with his sword. He quickly pulls away and sweeps the thief off his feet. The guard tries to knock Lon'qu away with his spear, but he blocked it with his silver sword. Gaius rushed in with his sword, and cut straight through the long wooden handle of the guard's spear. Then, he swiftly delivered a stern kick to the guard's stomach. The thief got back up, and Lon'qu threw a swift punch to his face. The thief fell back against the stone wall.

"So, what do we do with them?" asked Gaius.

"Leave them. But take the money and give it back to the merchant," said Lon'qu.

"Will do," said Gaius. "I suppose he won't be needing this dagger." Gaius looked at Lon'qu, and wondered why Lon'qu didn't have any objections.

"Why are you looking at me?" said Lon'qu. "Just hurry up and take his dagger."

* * *

 **Chapter 5 Part 2: The Assault**

Everyone (from Ylisse) had gathered in front of the castle, armed with swords, lances, axes, and tomes. Zelda wasn't going with them, for reasons that she did not state, not even to Link. Chrom ordered the six soldiers he brought with him to stay as well, and to guard Zelda since she wasn't going (despite Link's argument, in which he said that she could handle herself).

They were waiting for Link to come back with Ashei and Shad. Link entered the castle, as they expected, with the two resistance fighters. Ashei had a black chestplate on, with a matching black rapier. Shad came with a crossbow and a quiver of arrows, as well as a medium sized sack on his back.

The group was ready to head to the Zora River. Out of Castle Town, and into the possibly the a raging fire, or rather, a Twilight.

 **The Zora River**

"That's quite a small platform," Robin said, as he peered over the cliff edge.

"Well, the only way from here now is to go down," said Frederick.

They climbed down the ladder, with Link going first. As each person came down, he readied his sword and shield as he walked into the cave. Once everyone was in the cave, through the narrow tunnel, they arrived in a well-lit room, with a dozen Twili Risen. Link and his allies charged against the Twili Risen, easily killing them, and overpowering the sword skills of them.

"The Twili Risen don't fade away like normal Risen," said Robin.

Link examined one of the bodies of the Twili Risen, closely. He was about to remove the hood and the top cloak of it, but as his fingertips drew closer to it, he felt a surge of soreness, slowly coursing through his hand. Link quickly pulled away and backed away.

"Whoa, what was that," said Panne. "I can see a scent radiating from the bodies, and when you touched it, it started transferring to you."

"..." (Link). He said to just ignore it for now, since it was most likely nothing.

They walked through the much wider corridor, with frequently placed torches. Then, they reached the next room. There were half a dozen archers, aiming at them from an elevated section of the cave, with slopes on each horizontal side. They'd never encountered Twili Risen archers. They had to take cover behind the various boulders, in the rectangular room.

Gaius, Lon'qu, and Gregor pulled out their bows and arrows. The waited to hear the sounds of six arrows shooting, and then aimed. The darkness of the Twili Risen rendered them difficult to see in the dim-lit room. The three of them shot the arrows, but only Gaius hit one of them.

"Dammit, it's too dark to see!" said Lon'qu.

"I think I help with that," said Robin. He charged up his arcfire, and waited for the shots to temporarily cease. Then, he shot his arcfire towards the archers. He took cover, and waited again for them to stop shooting. He shot another arcfire at them, brightening to room with a series of flames.

"I thank thee, Robin!" shouted Gregor, with his heavy accent. "Ready your arrows... ready..." he said, waiting for arrows of the Risen to stop. "Fire!"

The three assassins left cover and shot their arrows at the archers. Three simultaneous hits, all landing within the chest area. At this time, the two remaining archers were close enough to be killed by a larger projectile, such as Robin's magic. Subsequently, Robin rose from cover at the far left side of the room, and shot an arcfire at the two archers. As expected, they were both hit by it, and were burnt to a crisp. Everyone arose out of cover, and continued through the room. Ashei noticed there were two Twili Risen bodies against one of the stairs.

"Shad, Link, look at those two bodies. They look like they were killed before we came in here," said Ashei.

Shad closely examined the bodies. To the side of the stairs were a few fruits and small goblet with a crack in it. He noticed that there were three sword wounds in each risen, and he looked through each wound. The blood was dried up, if there was any. Then he took one of his arrows and cut the risen. A cut, but no blood. The blood seemed to be drained out.

"There's no blood in them. It's like they were prepared for something. And with the food, it might be... a ritualistic sacrifice. That's just a guess though," explained Shad.

"We have more pressing matters, other than what the risen do in their free time. We should head through the next corridor," said Chrom.

 **The Third Room**

The third room was much larger. The ceiling was higher than expected, considering that they are underground. At the far end was a large altar, with what appeared to be a coffin. The room was filled with at least two dozen Twili Risen, walking aimlessly in their black hoods and swords. At the altar was a much taller Twili Risen, with a full-body black cloak and two tomes in his large pockets. He turned around from the altar when he noticed his Twili Risen focused on Link and company.

"Do not hurt them!" shouted the taller Twili Risen. He walked to them, with two Twili Risen in dark purple to black armor and spears. "Could it be, the other two blades?"

Chrom and Link knew that he meant Falchion and the Master Sword. The man in the cloak pulled away his right side of the cloak, revealing a sheath with a sword in it. He pulled out the sword, revealing the dark grey blade, and with a thin, nearly transparent layer of black smoke discharging from it. Link then felt the same feeling he had when he touched the dead Twili Risen before, but this time, it was more subtle.

"The Master Sword, the Twilight Sword, and the Blade of the Unknown have come together," said the risen.

"Blade of the Unknown?" asked Chrom.

"You don't know the story? Few people know about the Master Sword, and even less know of the other two. One is the Twilight Sword, believed to have been destroyed in the Interloper War. I've recovered it, as you can see. Then, there was another sword, where all that was known about it was what it looked like, through a sketch," explained the Risen. "That is, your sword."

"It's called Falchion," said Chrom.

"Yes. There is no doubting it. That is the third sword," said the Risen, condescendingly.

"Spare us the history lesson. What are you?" uttered Robin.

"We are nothing," said the Risen.

"Really, what are you?!" Robin frustratingly said again.

"We are the works of the Twilight, for he, the Great Zant, created us," said the Risen in the cloak.

"..." (Link). Hearing "Zant" shot in Link's ears. He killed Zant in the Twilight Realm, after he went crazy. Because of this, Link swung his sword, with the tip at the Risen's neck. He said that Zant was dead, and there was no way they could have been created.

"I suppose, but 'twas before his demise. We are the Noth Grashta. I am Lord Noth Grateau," said Noth Grateau. "He took us from our home in the Twilight Realm. He tortured us, played with our minds. We were the playthings of him. Then, with one being, he discovered, the first Noth Grashta. Skilled in swordplay and other areas of combat. We were his personal army. Then, he stumbled upon the Twilight Demons. At that point, he no longer found us useful."

"Isn't this where he kills you in the story?" asked Lucina.

"Not entirely. One of us tried to kill him. We thought we had him. But alas, we only killed a fake, who wore his armor. He came to me, and gave me a piece of his mind. He then sentenced us to something worse than death: banishment from the Twilight Realm," answered Noth Grateau. "We tried living in the Light World, but again, we encountered his Twilight Demons, and left

"How were you able to thrive for so long without being known?" asked Lucina.

"We've been dormant. Slowly, I've been able to create more Grashtas. I've made about one hundred of them," said Grateau. "It's a grueling process."

"Why'd you say 'the Great Zant,' before? He tortured and deformed you, and then banished you," said Lon'qu.

"He lives through us. His remaining spirit courses through our bodies. And finally, he can receive the great compensation," said Grateau.

Noth Grateau walked over to the altar, and everyone reluctantly followed. He picked up a thin red book.

"These are the words he's said to us, in from his deathly state," said Grateau.

"Hey, can I take a look at that?" asked Shad.

Grateau handed the book over to Shad.

"He speaks of an adversary, who caused his untimely demise. A man who could turn into a wolf," said Grateau. "We are to achieve his compensation, and find the man who killed him."

"A wolf? That sounds like you Link," said Robin.

"..." (Link). Link stood silently, since he knew that he killed Zant, and that if Zant's spirit remained through the Noth Grashta, then the whole thing was really Zant's plot for revenge. He whispered in Chrom's ear that they needed to leave, instantly.

"Well, it seems like we've just intruded on a religious gathering. I think it's best if we leave," said Chrom.

"Oh, you're not going anywhere," Grateau sinisterly said. "Restrain the man in green. Kill the rest."

"Everyone get down!" shouted Robin.

Robin swiftly took out his TriArc tome. The Grashta created a perimeter around them, and were ready to kill them. Everyone, except the Grashta, crouched down to the ground, and Robin unleashed the TriArc. A centralized beam of arcwind, arcfire, and arclightning. It consisted of a central shot of wind, a fire spiraling around the wind, and rods of lightning around the tubular wind and fire beam. He used the devastating attack, and rotated his body and cleared the entire room. Noth Grateau was burned and blown back against the wall above the altar.

"Run!" shouted Chrom.

Everyone sprinted out of the room, with Link behind them. Once they were out of the room, Grateau rose back up. He pulled out a throwing knife and gripped it hardly, and the blade was entailed in twilight crystals.

"I will have you... one way or another," he said.

Grateau threw the knife, and Link had just made it out of the room. He still had his shield out, and it wasn't on his back. The knife hit him in the back, cutting into his upper torso. He tripped and fell forward, with a gasp of pain. Chrom and Robin noticed almost instantly, and came to his aid. Robin pulled the knife out. Panne transformed, and smashed the rocks above the tunnel leading into the altar room, cutting off access to it. Lon'qu and Gregor picked up his body and carried him. They dashed out of the cave without any interference from the Grashta.

Once they made it out of the cave, they struggled to get him up the ladder, but Frederick was able to support Link and carry him up.

The placed him down on the grass, and he was cringing in pain.

"Sumia, can you use your healing stave?" asked Chrom.

"I can try," she answered.

She used her healing stave on Link, but it did the opposite of healing him. He cringed in more pain, and even screamed.

"It's not working, it's hurting him," said Sumia.

They were struggling to find ideas to stop the pain and heal him, but it was all too late before _it happened._

Link stopped cringing, and lied still. He took one last breath. Then, his body broke into black squares. The squares reformed into a new figure.

A wolf.

* * *

 _And Wolf Link has returned._

 _-Kaz_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **Outside the Twili/Grashta Cave**

"He turned, into a wolf?," said Gaius.

"Zelda did say he could before, but Link said he couldn't do it anymore," said Gerome.

"Can someone pull that damn knife out?" uttered Lon'qu, as he pulled the knife out of Wolf Link's back. "What kind of knife is this?"

"Hey can I see," said Robin, as Lon'qu handed him the knife. "It has some form of dark magic on it. Kind of like how my Levin Sword conducts lightning."

As they conversed over what to do, Wolf Link opened his eyes, and stood back up. He was confused as to why everyone was suddenly taller, and why he was on four limbs. Then he looked at his legs, and instantly realized what happened. The knife must have turned him into a wolf. He looked up. He didn't bark or howl, since he knew that only animals could understand him.

"Link... we uh, tried to heal you, but it didn't work. Noth Grateau threw this knife at you," said Robin. He showed Link the knife. The blade was dark in color, appearing even darker with the black fog emitting a centimeter off the blade.

"Did his stuff transform with him?" said Gerome.

"It did. It was there when he was still a human," answered Lucina.

"How exactly do we reverse this?" asked Ashei.

"I still have that book from Grateau. It might say something in here," said Shad. He started looking through the book.

"We should bring him back to Zelda," said Frederick.

Wolf Link nodded his head yes to Frederick.

"How exactly do we bring a wolf through Castle Town?" questioned Lon'qu.

"It can't be that bad. I don't think the citizens will really notice," said Gaius. "I mean, they didn't notice us beating up the thief."

Unfortunately for them, brining a wolf through the crowded Castle Town wasn't going to be easy.

* * *

 **Castle Town, Afternoon**

The Ylisse shepherds formed a tight perimeter around Link, which made him hard to see, when taking their armor into account. The residents of Castle Town were inattentive to the shepherds walking through in an elliptical formation. They made it past to the Castle Entrance. They were halted by the guards.

"What is your business in the Castle?" questioned the guard.

"We're reporting back from the investigation of the cave at the river," said Robin.

"We have six of our soldiers protecting Zelda right now," said Chrom.

"We can't let you through, without some proper identification," said the guard.

"We're allies of Link!" exclaimed Lucina.

"Heh, that isn't the first time someone tried to pull that card," replied the guard.

Link realized that he wasn't with them, as a human at least. The guards let Link pass through with whoever, since they figured that if they're with Link, he trusts them. Since they weren't going to get into the castle anytime soon, he pulled one incredibly daring move. He howled, loud enough to be heard from the top of the castle. Then he maneuvered his way out of the perimeter of shepherds that enclosed him away. The guards took one look at him. It didn't take long for them to scream in fear.

"Wolf! Stand back!" one of them yelled.

The guards stood back, pointing their spears at Link. Reluctantly and out of fear, they let them through the entrance.

* * *

 **The Castle Entrance**

Zelda met with the shepherds outside of the castle.

"I heard the howl. Link's howl," she said. She crouched town towards Wolf Link. "How did he turn into a wolf?"

"He had some help," said Robin. "The leader of the Twili Risen threw this knife at him."

Robin handed Zelda the knife.

"The knife, it looks like it is made out of shadow crystals. Zant once lodged a shadow crystal into Link, and it turned him into a wolf," said Zelda.

"How did he turn back to a human?" asked Chrom.

"He searched for the Master Sword. It casted the shadow crystal out of his body. With the help of Midna, his companion at the time, he was able to shift through the two forms at will," answered Zelda.

"Well, his stuff transformed with him," said Lucina.

"Then...I don't know how to turn him back to normal. There must be a shadow crystal in his body," said Zelda.

"What about his Midna person?" asked Gaius.

"She can't be reached. She's in another realm," said Zelda. "I wish there was more I could do to help."

Link looked down, with a soft howl of despair.

* * *

 **Later that Night, Castle Town**

The shepherds struggled to figure out how to turn Link back into a human. Robin suggested that they see if Henry or Tharja could take the shard out in Ylisse, but they realized that without Link's Master Sword, they couldn't open a portal. Lon'qu said that they could try to cut it out, and then have Sumia heal him. Link immediately shook his head no, as well as Chrom.

Their one miniscule sliver of hope was that something was written in Grateau's book. They (Chrom, Sumia, Robin, Morgan, and Lucina) went to Shad at the castle.

"Is there anything in that book?" asked Robin.

"Just one thing that's noteworthy," said Shad. "You said that the villagers of Ordon were all taken, right?"

"Yeah," answered Robin.

"You're not going to like what I'm about to read. This chapter is called 'The Transformation.' First, participants are taken and they kneel against the alter. Then, one by one, enlightenment dashes through them by edge of Twilight. Through their backs, and into their hearts," read Shad.

"I'm not liking where this is going," said Lucina.

"Then the transformation begins. Day by day, the more and more Twilight that flows through them. Part by part, they shift into a sublime black. Finally, they become the divine image of Zant. Beings of Twilight," continued Shad. "This may or may not have happened to the villagers."

"They transform through some edge of Twilight? Is that a sword or something?" said Morgan.

"I think a knife is a better definition. Since it was a knife that turned Link into a wolf," said Robin.

"If the knife works on anyone, we could all turn into Twilight beings," said Shad.

* * *

 **Outside of the Throne Room**

When he was a wolf during the Shadow Invasion, Link would often howl to summon a hawk, Epona, or to summon the Hero's Shade. Here, he would howl because he couldn't do anything else. They were the songs of the howling stones. Gaius, Gregor, and Cordelia were up at the outside of the Throne Room, under the dark sky and the crescent moon.

"Despite the rough situation that you are in, your howls are quite soothing," said Cordelia, as she petted Link's head.

"Uh, does he like getting petted like that? I mean, he is still a human, but trapped in a wolf's body," said Gaius.

"Link does not mind, it appears," said Gregor.

Link was lying down, with his head rested on Cordelia's lap.

"It was too bad that we couldn't bring the pegasi through the tear. It'd be nice to fly around Hyrule at night. You know Gaius, just you and me," said Cordelia.

"That would be nice... Is there any more room on your lap for my head?" said Gaius.

"Come over here," Cordelia replied.

"I hope you don't plan on falling asleep out here. 'Tis chilly out," said Gregor.

"This armor is warmer than you think," responded Cordelia.

"When you get sick, don't say I didn't warn you," said Gregor.

Gregor walked down the staircase, to find a comfortable place to sleep. There were only two guest rooms, that were taken by Chrom and Sumia, in one, and Lucina and Morgan in the other (the other was offered to Link, but he declined). Everyone else had to find a different place to sleep, although they didn't mind. Gregor went into the mess hall, were he found Lon'qu asleep. He tried hard to not wake him up, and he quietly lied down, and fell asleep.

* * *

 **Telma's Bar**

Robin, Gerome, Shad, and Ashei met with Auru at the bar. They went to show Auru the Noth Grashta's book.

"I see you brought another man. What's your name?" Auru asked.

"Robin," he answered.

"That sounds foreign," said Auru. "Where's Link?"

"Uh, this may sounds farfetched, but-" said Robin, as he was cut off by Gerome.

"He got stabbed by a hexed knife and turned into a wolf," Gerome said. "There was some cult in the cave, called the Noth Grashta or something like that."

"Shad stole one of their books, about how they worship Zant," said Ashei.

"Yeah, here, take a look at page 109," said Shad. He handed Auru the book.

Page 109 was the Transformation story. Auru read it, and was ridden with shock.

"That's repulsing," said Auru.

"We think that happened to the Ordanian villagers," said Shad. "Although it takes a year for the process to complete, so they aren't Twilight Beasts right now.

"Let's not forget that they're probably planning their revenge attack as we speak," said Gerome.

"Well, I'm sure their forces aren't that large," said Robin.

"Even then, we came here with 18 people. I'm not sure how large the Hylian Army is, but I've had to fight them. Even without my axe, I could take on three guards at once," replied Gerome.

"We have magic, they don't," said Robin.

"Still, I wish I could have brought Minerva along..." muttered Gerome.

* * *

 **Outside of the Castle, sometime during the night**

Link fell asleep in front of the castle. He had walked all the way down to the front entrance of the castle. His fur kept him warm. One of the plus sides of being a wolf. He also had his enhanced senses, although when he used them, they limited his line of sight to just a few feet around him. While he was awake, he kept thinking, how am I supposed to turn back?

Later during the night, while he was asleep at the front yard of the castle, he woke up involuntarily. He heard a voice in his head, saying to 'come a little closer.' A few steps forward, and he looked up. A feint black circle, darker than the much bluer tone of the night sky. Then, outlines of green appeared on the circle. Link instantly knew what it was: a Twilight Portal, which he used to travel to other places in Hyrule. Without any hesitation, he waited under the portal, and he dissolved into dozens of black squares. They flew up into the portal, to wherever the portal lead to.

* * *

 **The Mirror Chamber**

Link was taken to the Mirror Chamber, and a Twilight Portal was there. He appeared in, square by square, to see things that he could have swore were just part of a dream. The completed Twilight Mirror, and standing in front of it were Midna and three tall men in black armor.

"I must say, when I envisioned us meeting again, I certainly wasn't expecting a wolf," said Midna. "Let me fix that for you."

Midna walked up to Link, and phased her hand through his back. She pulled out the shadow crystal, and Link shifted back into a human. He took a brief look at himself, looking at his hands, the Master Sword, and looked at Midna, to see that they were at the same height.

"Sorry to bring you here at this hour. In the Twilight Realm the entrance to the Light Realm opened, and I had to go through. Of course, we encountered these creatures," said Midna.

Link looked around, and saw almost a dozen dead bodies of Noth Grashtas.

"..." (Link). Noth Grashtas. That's what they were called.

"I thought Zant had killed his first line of test subjects," Midna said. "I didn't know he sent them here."

"...?!" (Link). He was shocked at the fact that she knew what they were. He told her that they've been attacking Hyrule.

"I'm telling you, nothing good comes out of him," she responded.

"..." Link asked what the armored men were.

"They're the real Twilight Realm Guard. Intimidating, right?" she said.

"..." (Link). He said he guessed so.

"What was that about these Noth Gratas attacking Hyrule?"

"..." (Link). They attacked Ordon Village and kidnapped all of the villagers. They tracked them to a cave by the Zora River, and they found out that they're a cult that worships Zant.

Midna responded by smashing a collapsed pillar into pebbles, using a large fist that she faintly outlined her own arm. After she calmed down, the black fist faded away.

"..." (Link). He then continued to explain that he's met people from another kingdom, who are heroes or their own, and that they were helping him and Zelda.

"Another kingdom? I never knew that there were others beyond Hyrule and the Twilight Realm," Midna replied.

"..." (Link). The were busy trying to figure out how to turn Link back, he said.

"Problem solved. Although, there's still the question of who repaired the mirror. I shattered it for a reason."

"..." (Link). At the moment, they thought that the Noth Grashta had repaired the mirror.

"Regardless of that... it's great to see you again," said Midna. "I should take you back to Hyrule Castle then, yes?"

* * *

 **Hyrule Castle**

Link appeared in front of the castle after the Twilight portal released the squares which formed into him. Link only saw himself appear, and he didn't see Midna or the Twilight Guard. Oddly enough, it was also morning, and not the deep night that Link remembered.

"A bit confused, eh?" said Midna. "Well, I tried putting you into the Twilight portal, but you went unconscious. I guess from not being exposed to Twilight for so long. I thought we should let you sleep."

Link aimlessly looked around, and did not see where her voice was coming from.

"We're inside your sword. Fortunately it isn't dispelling us since we're not pure evil," said one of the guards.

"Now that we have that sorted out, I think we should pay Zelda a visit. I haven't seen her in for almost a year now," said Midna.

* * *

 _Haven't posted for a while. Been busy with school._

 _-Kaz_


	7. Chapter 7: An Abrupt Reunion

**Chapter 7: An Abrupt Reunion**

 _Hyrule Castle_

"Link?! You're human! How did you change back?" said Zelda.

Midna phased out of Link's sword, appearing in her true humanoid form. Her Twilight Guards phased out of his sword as well.

"He had some help. It's been a while, Zelda," said Midna.

"Midna... How is this possible? I thought the Mirror wasn't complete," said Zelda.

"I don't know how it happened, but really, I'm glad it did," replied Midna.

"I'm glad to see you in your true form," said Zelda. "Fortunately you didn't come under horrible circumstances."

"Not in the Twilight Realm. As for you though, we can't say the same," said one of the Twilight Guards.

"Yes. Link told us about the cult," said Midna. "And people from another kingdom, if I'm not mistaken."

"Oh, yes, the Ylisseans," said Zelda.

Link left the room, and later returned with everyone from Ylisse. They were a bit confused as to why Link called them up there, and who the tall Twilight princess was.

"..." (Link). He explained to them who Midna was, and how she went through the mirror last night and reverted Link back to his human form.

"It is nice to meet you, Midna. I'm Chrom, the leader of Ylisse," said Chrom.

"I've never seen a kingdom outside of Hyrule or the Twilight Realm. It is nice to meet you, Chrom," said Midna.

"This is my daughter, Lucina," said Chrom.

"Wow, you look really young if you have a daughter who looks old as Link," Midna stated.

"Actually, I'm from the future. I traveled through time," responded Lucina.

"..." Midna did not know how to respond.

"It's a bit complicated," Lucina said.

They introduced Midna to the rest of the party. They explained the entire situation with the Noth Grashtas/Twili Risen with her, and showed her the knife that Lord Grateau threw at Link. In response, she showed them the shadow crystal that was in Link.

"We could use it to turn Link back into a wolf if we need him to," she said.

* * *

 _Castle Town's East Entrance_

Four guards were stationed outside of the entrance, guarding with shields and swords. Fortunately, these guards weren't as cowardly and ill-trained as the ones from the Shadow Invasion. Two guards would stop anyone who tried to enter, and they would search their items for anything.

A man in a black poncho and walked to the entrance, carrying something long and narrow, wrapped in a white tarp. The guards stopped the man, who at another glance had a hood on.

"We're going to have to search through your items, sir," a guard said.

The man handed the guard the object. The guard unwrapped it, revealing a fishing rod.

"Oh, it's just a fishing rod. Go along, sir," said the guard, as he wrapped the rod back up.

The man in the poncho walked through into Castle Town.

"Weird fishing rod. It's edges felt sharp," said a guard.

The man continued to walk through the bustling streets. The center was filled, with tighter security. He needed to distract the guards, and everyone in the center. He couldn't draw attention. Perhaps the fountain might draw attention, he though. He walked over to the fountain, and layed his rod on the rim of the fountain. He faked a cough, and pretended to knock the rod into the fountain.

The fountain froze into crystal blue ice. He pulled his rod out, and walked away. By then, everyone was looking at the fountain. With a subtle wrist movement, he gestured towards the ice. The minuscule pieces formed into a small vortex in the sky. As quick as it formed, it dissipated and unraveled into snow. As amazed as the citizens and the guards were, it gave the man enough time to walk through unnoticed. The vortex had also caused a wind that was loud enough to mask his footsteps. The two guards at the castle entrance retained their positions, but the man had a way of dealing with them. He pulled out a small shard, and he stabbed his shoulder. The black radiance of the shard dissolved into him. He went under a shaded area, and dismantled into dozens of black squares, those black squares flew through the door, remaining in any shadows that there were.

He was inside the castle, just as he planned.

* * *

 _The Throne Room's Balcony_

Link stood atop the balcony, observing the small snow flurry in Castle Town. With him was Gregor, also observing the snow.

"It doesn't feel right. Why would it be snowing in spring?" He stated.

"..."(Link). He said it could just be a magician putting on a show.

" Maybe, but I'd keep an eye out," said Gregor.

"...!" Link's senses jolted. With his senses, he noticed dozens of black squares flying towards the throne room. He grabbed his bow, and out a bomb on it. Link aimed, and shot it towards the cluster. The squares reformed into a man with an item in a tarp. He released the tarp, revealing a sleek sword. He sliced through the bomb arrow, but instead of exploding, it froze into complete ice. Then the man dissolved back into squares and flew directly above Link.

The man reformed, and landed by Link, and took off his hood, revealing his face. A Twili risen. It wasn't like the others though. This one looked more human than the others. He didn't have the reptilian skin, or the dark purple radiance and complexion. Gregor and Link readied their swords, as well as the Twili Risen.

"..." (Link). He told Gregor to alert Chrom and the others. Link would handle the intruder.

The intruder charged at Link, and their blades clashed, pushing Link back a little as he held his ground. Link overpowered the intruder, and he knocked him off balance. Link swung his sword vertically, and the intruder weakly blocked it with his sword. The intruder gripped his sword fiercely, and Link could see a white haze form over his dark eyes. The intruder's sword lightened and turned a whiter shade. It was an ice sword. The frost had no effect on Link's sword though, and the intruder was distraught. He pulled away, and attempted another swing, this time with Link blocking with the Hylian shield. Again, no effect. The intruder pulled away again, and fled up the steps leading to the throne room. Link followed, prepared to face him.

The intruder held his ice sword parallel to his face and he used its power to trap Link's legs in ice. It hastily formed up to his thighs. He approached Link, making the ice expand, entrapping Link's body more in ice. He had Link covered up to his shoulders, and finally came close to him.

"You made me use up all of my magic. But you're an interesting specimen, Hero of Time. You're not what I came for though," said the intruder.

The intruder stopped and looked at the Twilight guards that arrived at the throne room, as well as Midna and Chrom.

"Don't come closer or I'll turn him into solid ice, and shatter him!" shouted the intruder.

"..." (Link). He tried to tell them that he's lying, but the intruder pressed his blade closer to his head.

"Forgive me for this, Link..." Midna said.

Midna took out the shadow crystal. All of them backed away from the throne room. As they did so, the intruder pulled his sword away from Link. Midna immediately launched the shadow crystal into Link. It pierced the ice and lodged into Link. He fell down, and turned into a wolf. The intruder backed away, distraught and distracted. Midna sprinted ahead, and used her powers to grab him from afar, with the shadow hands the can create. He struggled, but the grip was too strong for him.

Midna started to grip him tighter, and she started to drain something out of him.

"!" (Link). Link yelled to Midna, pleading her to not kill him.

Midna kept draining him, until all that was left was a body. Well, not entirely. She let go, and after taking the shadow/twilight out of him, he was revealed to be a regular human. A man with jet black hair and a long face was released from Midna's grip.

* * *

 _Sometime later, in the castle's dungeon_

The intruder was brought down to the dungeon, and his arms were chained to the wall. Midna, Link, Shad, Chrom, and Robin were in the cell with him.

"We know you work for Noth Grateau," said Midna.

"Yeah, I did. He turned me into that though. Didn't you notice how I looked more like a human?" said the man.

"Just tell us what you know," said Chrom.

"Well, guess I have nothing to lose now. Grateau turned me into a shadow, or a twili risen. After you guys attacked their cave, he sent me to deliver a message: The merge is coming," stated the man. "Oh, and he's coming to kill you all."

"The merging of Hyrule and another. That was in the book," said Shad. "When the three sacred blades are brought together, they shall form so powerful that it brings the two kingdoms into one."

"Yeah, it went something like that," said the man.

"You seem pretty cooperative, considering that we have you chained in a dungeon, after you tried to kill Link," said Robin.

"Well, your lightning sword is a bit menacing," said the man. "So none of you are going to ask who I am?"

"Who are you?" said Midna.

"My name is Ren'kir, or Ren for short. I live here, in Castle Town. Until Grateau kidnapped me, and forced me into becoming a Noth Grashta," he explained. "By the way, thank you for removing the twilight out of me."

"Um, your welcome," Midna replied.

"Although, that comes with a side effect. You see, now I can channel twilight into different things, in the same way that you and Link can," Ren said. "The excess twilight that didn't come out has to go somewhere."

"So you can use that to turn into a shadow beast, or some other shadow monster?" Midna asked.

"Potentially," he answered.

"What was that about the merging of the kingdoms? The three sacred blades, specifically," said Shad.

"Grateau mentioned the three blades when we encountered him at the cave," said Chrom.

"From my understanding, you two have two of them. The Master Sword and whatever your blade is called," said Ren.

"Falchion," Chrom said.

"Yeah, Falchion. I think the third blade is Grateau's. I've seen him pull it out a couple of times. I was basically his assistant, and he told me a lot about it. Apparently, it can turn a person into a shadow being, without any way of reverting back. Although, it wasn't in its true form yet. He needed some special stone for it," explained Ren. "It was uh, the raving stone or something like that. Wait, it was called the Radiating stone!"

"Why are you still so cooperative?" questioned Robin.

"Did I ever say that I wanted to work for Grateau? He kidnapped me, forcibly turned me into a shadow man, and sent me on a suicide mission. Oh, and thank you for not killing me. Should have said that before," said Ren.

"So, you're willing to fight against Grateau with us?" asked Midna.

"Yes," he answered.

Link walked over to the chains, and unlocked them. At the same time, Robin readied his Levin sword.

"Hey, easy with the lightning sword," said Ren.

"One last question: That sword that you had, was it some magic sword like this one?" asked Robin.

"Yeah. Grateau gave it to me. It's powered by magic," Ren answered. "If I'm free and helping you guys, can I go to my house in Castle Town? I need to get some things."

"..." (Link). Link allowed Ren'kir to join them.

"If Link says so, I'm fine. But Ren'kir,listen: If you take one step out of line, I we will make sure to throw you down the abyss under Eldin Bridge," Midna assertively stated.

"Whatever you say, Queen of Twilight," said Ren.

* * *

 _Ren'kir's House, West Castle Town_

Ren's house was tucked away in an obscure street in the Western half of Castle Town. It was a small Tudor-style house, but unlike the other houses in the town, it had a small front lawn with a sapling in it. Link went inside with Ren, while Chrom and Robin waited outside. The inside of his house was relatively normal. One thing that caught Link's eye was the two large bookshelves, both filled to the brim. Ren picked up a wide, forest green scarf. He took off the black poncho, revealing his clothing beneath. He wore a white tunic, stained with patches of dirt, and brown pants, darker than the stains. Ren put on a dark beige jacket, and then the scarf.

Ren went to one of the bookshelves, and took out a thick book from the top shelf. He pulled out a few cases that were tucked away behind the books.

"..."(Link). He asked what were in the cases.

"Darts and poisons," Ren answered. "Shall we get going, then?"


	8. Chapter 8: Excavation

**Chapter 8: Excavation**

"So where exactly are we going?" asked Ren.

"..." (Link). He said that they were going to find the Radiating Stone before Lord Grateau does.

"How do you plan to do that? Even he didn't know where it was," said Ren.

"Well, he doesn't have three scholarly people who know almost everything about Hyrule," said Robin.

"You mean that guy at the dungeon who read Grateau's book?" said Ren.

"Yeah, that guy, and his two friends," said Chrom.

"Can't wait to meet them," Ren said sarcastically.

They walked to Telma's Bar, and Shad, Ashei and Auru were outside.

"Link, we were just getting ready to go to you. We looked into the radiating stone like you told us to," said Shad. "A stone with similar qualities appears to be in with the Gorons, and it dates back to their foundation at Death Mountain."

"How fast can we get there?" asked Chrom.

"It's afternoon right now. We should get there before night," said Shad.

"I'll be with you too," said a familiar voice.

Zelda arrived at the alley, not as Zelda, but as Sheik. Just as she looked when they went to Gerudo Desert, she was armed with a knife, needles, and her face was covered except for her eyes.

"Who is this?" Ren asked.

"..." (Link). He answered that it was Zelda's alter ego.

"Umm, nice to meet you, your highness," stammered Ren. He kneeled down. "So, no hard feelings for trying to assassinate you, right?"

"Uh, you're pardoned. Also, don't blow my cover," Sheik responded.

* * *

 **Kakariko Village, sundown**

The party of Link, Chrom, Robin, Ren'kir, Shad, Ashei, Auru, and Sheik arrived at the gates of Kakariko Village. The walls stood high, using the sides of the basin as support. Two Gorons were at the top, guarding it. They were an industrial race, having set up the Goron Mines. The Gorons and Renado built the walls after the Shadow Invasion, to ensure that any remaining bulbins could not enter the village easily.

"Who goes there?" shouted one of the Gorons.

"It is Link. Let him through," said the other Goron.

"Okay. Hold on for a few seconds," shouted the first Goron.

The Gorons walked to the center of the wall's top walkway, and each pulled a lever up, perpendicular to the floor. The levers released the door, opening the gate to the village. The party entered. Renado, Luda, and Barnes were all inside, with the only people outside being the Gorons. The sky was getting darker, and the orange light of the village was diminishing.

"Night already," said Ren. "Couldn't we just have Midna warp us through, using a portal?"

"..." (Link). Link said that it might or might not be possible. She's warped a bridge twice, but a normal person might become a spirit.

"I mean, Kakariko Village is a bit ominous at night," said Ren.

"During the Shadow Invasion, yes, but it was much better after Zant and Ganondorf were defeated," said Sheik.

"..." (Link). Link said that the Gorons keep a tight guard, since Link has wrestled with Gorons before.

A Goron approached them, and said "Fellow travelers, how are you faring?"

"We're faring well," said Chrom.

"...?" (Link). He asked if any of the Goron elders were in the village.

"They are all at Death Mountain. Do not go though, it is too dangerous right now, even for a Goron," the Goron said.

"I think we'll be fine. We've encountered worse," said Sheik.

"You certainly look prepared for combat, but invaders aren't an issue. There have been an increase of avalanches, and earthquakes. Death Mountain seems to be active right now," explained the Goron. "It is dark right now, and the Gorons have either hidden by the hot spring in the Mountain or taken refuge here."

"Seismic activity? Seems typical for Death Mountain," said Shad.

"All we can hope for is that no one gets hurt. In the morning, come find me, and I will guide you up the Mountain," said the Goron. "My name is Terro."

"..." (Link). Link said that they can stay in the vacant hotel.

The group entered the hotel, and each found a spot to stay in. Robin, Chrom, Auru, and Shad were upstairs, and Ashei and Sheik were on the bottom. Ren and Link both left the building and went outside. Link was heading to the roof of the hotel, and Ren was going to the spring.

"Why does it seem like the buildings are all vacant?" asked Robin.

"In the Shadow Invasion, the town was attacked by shadow beasts. A lot of the villagers were either killed or turned into shadow beasts themselves. In fact, I think I remember hearing about a house burning down here. Such a pity, since there are now only three human residents: A shaman named Renado, his daughter, and a bomb seller," explained Auru.

On the roof of the hotel, Link sat down, having a view of the sanctuary and the spring. He was again sitting atop, staring off, reflecting about the events that had happened. To think that the connection between the light world and the twilight realm had been fixed astounded him.

Ren sat down in the spring water, facing the rest of the village. He was thinking about how he was trapped as a Noth Grashta for months, and he was free, because Lord Grateau sent him to assassinate Zelda. Both him a Link, dragged into a conflict.

* * *

 **Base of Death Mountain, Morning**

The group met with Terro at the base of Death Mountain in the morning. If the constant vibrations in the ground weren't unsettling enough, there were also the occasional falling rocks. They slowly trudged their way up the mountain, often stopping while Terro shielded them from a small avalanche. Robin even had to stop a rock with his magic a few times, and have Terro push the rock away. Eventually, at the spot where the land caves into an empty basin, they found a Goron, sitting against a wall of the mountain. He appeared to be exhausted. He saw the group and Terro, and called out for him.

"Terro! Thank the light spirit that you are here," he said.

"Garkoff, what happened? You look like you spent too much time in the hot spring," said Terro.

"No, the opposite. I can't get to the hot springs. The path over here was crushed by these avalanching rocks, and I can't climb up to get there," replied the Goron named Garkoff. "I tried to move them, but alas, only Darbus could do such a thing."

"I wonder if I could warp us up there," said Ren.

"..." (Link). Link replied that there was still the possibility of the rest of them turning into spirits.

"You can try it with me," said Auru. "I'm growing old anyways."

"Auru, I know death is inevitable, but why invite it early?" responed Shad.

"Hey, I won't be dead, will I?" Auru said.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure about that part," said Ren. "Although, if you agree to do so."

Ren grabbed Auru's arm, and they dismantled into black squares. Their squares warped up on to the passage that would lead to the Hot Spring. The squares reassembled into their bodies, and to the group's surprise, Auru and Ren were reconfigured normally. Auru didn't turn into a spirit.

"It worked! I'm still alive!" exclaimed Auru.

"Great, I can warp the rest of you guys up!" shouted Ren.

Ren warped them up, including Terro and Garkoff. They proceeded to traverse the path to the hot spring, with more protection from Garkoff. They walked until the found the Hot spring, where the Gorons were. They were either lounging in the spring, or sitting with a low morale. There was a shop set up, where a Goron made use of an opening in the rocks. There, the group found the leader Darbus and the four elders.

"...!" (Link). He called out to them.

"Link! Oh, how fortunate it is that you've come!" said Gor Coron, one of the elders. "The mountains are shaking, more than usual. Something has upset it. For that, we've closed off the mines."

"..." (Link). Link suggested that it might have come from the mines.

"Oh, we thoroughly checked, and survived this time. No Gorons lost either," said Gor Amoto, another elder.

"It seems that the source of the earthquakes comes from beyond that abandoned path, next to the path that leads to the mines," said Gor Liggs, another elder.

"What's beyond the path?" Ren asked.

"The old Goron sanctuary. We haven't gone there for decades. After Darbus was trapped by darkness, the path was blocked up by an avalanche. No one felt the need to unblock it, since we don't use it. Let me tell you brudda, there isn't much in that place anyway," explained Gor Ebizo, the last elder.

"Well, there is an old orange stone," said Gor Liggs. "It isn't useful for much though. I tried picking it up once, and it almost shattered from just touching it. We don't even have traps set up to protect it."

"That's definitely the Radiating Stone," said Shad.

"Terro and I can unblock the path for them," said Garkoff.

"Alright. Be careful at the sanctuary. It could easily crumble," said Darbus. "I advise that only two of you go in, incase the floor crumbles from too much weight."

"Thanks. That's very reassuring..." Ren said sarcastically.

As with before, Terro and Garkoff led the group to the sanctuary, and they crumbled the blocking boulders into pebbles. Their arms moved in slamming motions, breaking the rocks. The ground shook violently when they moved closer to the sanctuary. It had to be the source of the seismic activity.

"The path is clear. Go in, but be careful," said Terro.

"Who's going in? Darbus said that only two of us could go in," Sheik mentioned.

"I should go. I can warp out easily," said Ren.

"..." (Link). Link said that he'll go in with Ren.

"Alright," Ren said.

The two slowly trekked into the sanctuary, fearful of the ground collapsing beneath them. The sanctuary itself was not too large. Probably the same size as the one in Kakariko Village. This one was more dome-shaped, but the roof had jagged stones as the material. It was a lot like a Goron. The arch entrance was empty, with no door. The only light was from what managed to leak inside.

"It had to be made with jagged rocks..." said Ren.

They reached the inside, which was not as bad as expected. Aside from the walls and the roof being cracked, the only turn off was the darkness. Link pulled out his lantern and lit it, and as they walked to the center, he placed it down. The room lit up, revealing many cracked pots, vases, and other forms of pottery. In the room was also an anvil, a hammer, and a small pile of ores, all covered in cobwebs. Directly across from the entrance was a stone, cylindrical pedestal. Atop it was the Radiating Stone.

"There it is," said Ren. He was about to take a step, but Link held him back.

"What? The elder said that there were no traps," said Ren.

Link pointed to where Ren was about to step. There weren't any stones there. There was a gap that was too risky to jump, since the floor on the other side had jagged edges.

"For a place that has no traps, it's very well protected," said Ren.

Ren dismembered into black squares and warped to the other side. He reformed right next to the pedestal. Without hesitation, he grabbed the Radiating Stone. Just as he took it, the ground shook into a violent earthquake. The floor of the sanctuary started to crumble. Link was running back so he wouldn't fall in. Ren hastily warped to Link and grabbed him, and then warped them out. The sloppily reassembled, staggering for a bit. The sanctuary collapsed completely, and all that remained was rubble.

"Good thing Ren went in there," said Robin.

"Uh, sorry about the sanctuary," said Ren.

"Do not worry. We never used it. Not even for tribal items," said Terro.

"Now that we have the stone, what do we do with it?" asked Robin.

"..." (Link). Link said that they were going to prevent Grateau from getting it. They were going to Ylisse and storing it there.

"In Ylisse? That's very...clever actually. He won't be able to go there," said Robin. "Wait, do you hear that rumbling?"

Another Goron bolted to them, and his weight upon the ground caused the rumbles. His face had a look of distress.

"Terro, Garkhoff!" he cried out. "Attackers, they're here for the stone."

"How far up have they come?" asked Garkhoff.

"We've held them at bay at the entrance, by the climbing grid," said the Goron.

"Great, just what we need," said Chrom. "Shad, Ashei, can you two protect the stone and Auru?"

"Yeah, we can do that," said Ashei.

"Alright, everyone, head to the springs! That's where we've prepared," said the other Goron.

* * *

 **Goron Springs**

The Gorons stood in a wall formation, holding a battle stance. They built a wall of rocks with various boulders that they broke off from the surrounding rocks. In regards to their above average size, the rocks were big enough to delay the Twili Risen. Garkoff, Terro, the other Goron, and the party arrived before the Twili Risen stormed in. Shad, Auru, and Ashei took the stone and went to the back of the springs, in the shop that one of the Gorons owned. Darbus stood in front of the shop, guarding them. His massive size blockaded the entire store, blocking out the light from shining into the store. Sheik stood farther in the back with Darbus as well.

At the moment of the Twili Risen's entrance, they hurtled through the paths with no organization. Their shouts could be heard before the party could even see them. Link observed them as they ran, ready with his shield and the Master Sword. The attackers were wielding swords, knives, and spiked clubs. A lot of them were dual wielding swords, though none of them dual wielded with knives or the spiked clubs.

"Can your bodies withstand a sword or a knife?" asked Chrom.

"Yes. But the club, I'm unsure of," said Gor Coron, who had rallied up with Link and the party. "But here goes nothing!"

The group stood as the Twili Risen tried to climb over the rocks. Robin took higher ground, and used Arcwind to blow them off the rocks. Robin alone was not enough, as their numbers managed to climb over the rocks. Chrom, Link, and Ren'kir charged forward and countered the Twili Risen as they leaped down from the rocks. Gor Coron, Terro, and Garkoff charged forward to assist Link.

On the other side of the rock barrier were half a dozen Twili Risen with spiked clubs. They struck the rocks with the clubs, and they cracked. Another one, and another swing. The rocks broke and crumbled. Link, Ren, Chrom, and the three Gorons retreated down to the springs.

"Kill the ones with the clubs first!" shouted Gor Coron. He delivered a swift punch to one of the club-wielding risen. The hit was powerful enough to incapacitate him, and break his rib cage (assuming that he still had a skeletal structure as a Noth Grashta). Gor Coron grabbed another two risen and hurled them to another Goron. That Goron quickly punched them. The overall fighting style of the Gorons was just punching, though, given their strength and their resilient bodies, they were fine against blades. However, a club wielder caught a Goron off guard, and went behind him. The Risen swung his club into the Goron's rocky back, cracking it, and leaving the Goron to fall down while screaming in pain.

Ren quickly noticed the Goron, and he jolted to the club wielder and swiftly impaled him. Ren warped the Goron to the back by Darbus, and he told him to stay put. Robin noticed the damaged Goron, and he observed the battlefield from the higher ground. There were at least a dozen Noth Grashtas wielding clubs. He jumped down and brought out the Levin Sword. He ran through the field of clashing Gorons and Grashtas, and aimlessly swung his sword at every Grashta he saw. In this surge, he killed at least a dozen of them.

Link and Chrom were running out of energy to fight. They both each had to have killed two dozen Grashtas.

"How many of them are there?!" shouted Chrom. It was four people, and two dozen Gorons (including the injured one, the four elders, and Darbus), against what seemed to be one-hundred Noth Grashtas.

In the array, a few Grashtas managed to reach the store. Darbus seamlessly did away with them. They eventually all just started to run to Darbus, ignoring Chrom, Link, Ren, Robin, and the other Gorons. Despite Darbus's strength and resistance, he was overwhelmed. He fell aside in exhaustion, opening the entrance to the store. Sheik pushed them away with three of her pellet bombs. This gave Ren and Robin a chance to push them even further away with their magic. Ren shot a barrage of ice shards, impaling the Grashtas, and Robin conjured a barrage of Arcthunder. The efforts drove them away, leaving them open to attack by Link, Chrom and the Gorons. The Gorons charged in their spiral roll, killing off and knocking down most of the Grashtas. Link and Chrom quickly came and finished the rest off.

"That's all of them," said Chrom.

"All these dead bodies... what to do with them?" said Ren.

"More importantly, the wounded Gorons, and Darbus," said Robin.

"Darbus is still alive, I can feel a pulse. He must have been exhausted," replied Sheik. "Wait, there's a crack on his legs from a club wielder."

"How fast can you guys heal?" asked Chrom.

"A wound like this, about two weeks. However, with magic, it could be healed quicker," said Gor Amoto.

"If only Libra was here. He'd be able to heal all of these Gorons in a snap," said Robin.

"What about Renado?" asked Gor Coron.

"Renado could- oh, no the village, it must be torn by now," said Sheik.

"..." (Link). Link told them to tend to the wounded Gorons, while he investigated Kakariko Village.

"Be careful Link!" Robin yelled as Link left.

* * *

 **Kakariko Village, Afternoon**

Surely enough, there were half a dozen Noth Grashtas loitering around the village. Link hid behind the wall of the mountain, and looked with the hawk eyes towards the sanctuary. Two of them were trying to break down the entrance. Over, closer and to the right, was one trying to get into a bomb shop. The other three paced around by the hotel.

Atop the roof of the bomb shop, a man emerged, wearing a metal mask used by blacksmiths and a brown suspenders. Link immediately recognized him as Barnes, the bomb maker. He yelled out to the Grashtas.

"Hey, over here!" Four of them approached the building, standing a few meters away from the awning. "Eat this!" He threw a bomb down to them. It exploded, killing the Noth Grashtas. The two by the sanctuary ignored it, and continued trying to break in. Link pulled out his bow, and aimed for the head of the Noth Grashta. His aim was enhanced by the hawk eyes mask. He shot the arrow, and it pierced the Grashta, right in its temples. The other Grashta quickly reacted with shock, aimlessly looking around for the attacker. With a rush of adrenaline, Link quickly aimed another arrow and fired. Again, right in the chest. Shortly after, Link ran to the sanctuary and knocked. He called out Renado's name. Renado responded and opened the door. Link affirmed that there weren't any more.

"That army that went to Death Mountain too?" Renado asked.

Link assured him. He then told Renado about Darbus and the wounded Gorons.

"A wounded Goron? That isn't something I've heard of in a long time," said Renado. "Though, I do remember how to treat them."

"..."(Link). Link asked if Luda was okay.

"She's fine. A little bit shaken though," he answered.

* * *

Death Mountain, Before Sunset

Link made the journey back to the Goron Springs. He found that the bodies of the Noth Grashtas were piled up, and the wounded Gorons were sitting against the far wall. There were four piles, each about the height of a human and as wide as three Gorons standing side-by-side.

"...?" (Link). Link asked Ren if they counted the bodies.

"Huh- Oh, you're back. Was starting to think you got attacked," said Ren. "Oh, right, the bodies, yeah. They counted. There were eighty of them."

"..." (Link). Link said that Renado could assist with the wounded Gorons. He asked Ren if he could warp them down to the village.

"But there are like, five of them and Darbus. That many trips?" he responded.

"... -_-..." (Link). Link said that if he wanted to carry all of them down, they could.

"Okay, when you put it that way," said Ren.

* * *

 _This is actually the longest chapter I've written, with about 3,600 words (previous was chapter 5 at about 3,200 words). I'm going to try and post more frequently, but right now, I'm busy with standardized tests for school, on top of my other school work._

 _-Kaz_


	9. Chapter 9: The Mask Festival

**Chapter 9: The Mask Festival**

 **The Sanctuary, Sunset**

The wounded Gorons lied around the Sanctuary, waiting for their turn with Renado. Link and Sheik went inside, to check on Darbus. Darbus was resting on the floor, and Renado had finished his healing.

"He's going to be alright. You can bring in the next Goron," said Renado.

* * *

 **Hyrule Castle, Morning**

Ren warped all of them to Hyrule Castle, and they were greeted by Midna and the rest of the Ylisse shepherds.

"How was your quest?" asked Cordelia.

"We got what we went for," said Robin. "Ren, show them."

Ren pulled out the orange stone, and showed them. They gazed in awe at its ancient appearance.

"Noth Grateau wants this stone. We can keep it in the place that he can't get it: Ylisse," said Robin.

"What's stopping him from going to Ylisse?" asked Midna.

"We can only create a portal to Ylisse if Link opens one with the Master Sword," said Chrom. "Speaking of, wouldn't it be best that we get the stone there as fast as possible?"

"Chrom is right. We should go into the castle and do it," said Sheik.

The group went into the castle foyer. Link held out his sword in a skyward position, and the portal opened beneath them. The Ylisse party, Link, Ren, and Sheik went through. They vanished into the other universe.

* * *

 **Ylisstol's Royal Castle**

The group arrived back at the foyer of the Ylisstol Castle. They were greeted by Say'ri, Libra, Yarne, and Yen'fay from the alternate universe.

"You're back! 'Twas only a day ago that you left," said Say'ri.

"A day? We were in Hyrule for almost a week," said Robin.

"But you left only yesterday," replied Libra.

"It appears that your universe's timeline is not connected with this one's," stated Yen'fay.

"What makes you say that?" asked Lon'qu.

"It happened to me, when I came here. For me, it had been weeks after Say'ri's death. When I came here, Say'ri was still alive," said Yen'fay.

"You came through the Outrealm Gate though. That place could have purposely sent you to this time, though your explanation is a valid theory," said Lucina.

"Well, aside from the time differences, we came here to store this," said Ren. Ren showed them the Radiating Stone. "The Noth Grashtas can't get it when it's here. Actually, you'd know them as Twili Risen."

They hid the stone in a storage vault in the castle. They parted ways, with Link, Sheik, and Ren'kir leaving Ylisse and going back to Hyrule. Chrom still had a kingdom to run, as he was absent for a few days (including the first time he went to Hyrule). The rest of the Ylisse shepherds were filled in on the events that occurred in Hyrule, and what was on the other side of the portal. Soon enough, the entire army knew about it.

One month passed in Hyrule and Ylisse. No attacks from Noth Grateau, and no need to crossover. In that time, Link searched for the missing Ordanian villagers. He traced cold leads on possible caves, hidden tunnels, and spelunking in underground caverns.

Eventually, the Ylisstol shepherds decided to visit Hyrule again. Chrom, Robin, Sumia, Frederick, Lon'qu, Lucina, Gerome, Gregor, and Morgan went through the portal to Hyrule. They landed during a Hylian holiday.

* * *

 **The Throne Room**

"I suppose you don't know what the mask festival is, no?" Zelda asked. "It is quite odd, since we are celebrating the interlopers. They made masks, and they are the ancestors of the Twili people."

"It's happening tomorrow, and the day after. There's lots of food, music, and everyone is wearing a mask of some sort," said Ashei.

"Yeah, but what's so 'odd' about it?" asked Lon'qu.

"They created a dark magic mask called the fused shadows. The Light Spirits banished them for abusing its power, and trying to invade the Sacred Realm," answered Midna.

"Where's the Fused Shadow now?" asked Shad.

"Somewhere in Western Hyrule Field," replied Midna.

"So you're celebrating the crusade of an invader that used dark magic?" said Lucina.

"It's more to celebrate the creation of the Twili people," responded Ashei.

"Also, you should probably find a mask. There's this one stand in the southern part of town that gives them out for free the day before the festival," said Auru.

* * *

 **Southern Market Street, night**

The group followed Link to the market where the masks were being sold. Each of them got a mask. Robin got a mask of a well, a robin; Chrom got a mask of a  
Hylian warrior; Sumia go a mask of a Pegasus; Frederkick got a mask of a wolf; Lon'qu got a mask which resembled a demon of some sort; Gregor got a mask of a elk, and Morgan got a mask of a fox; Gerome had a mask of a wyvern-like creature. Link took a mask of what appeared to be a Twili being.

They went into Telma's Bar, where they were cheerfully greeted by Telma and Auru.

"Here for a drink before the festival?" asked Telma.

"..." (Link). Link gave Telma two purple rupees and asked her to give everyone drinks.

"Well, certainly!" said Telma.

Link went to Auru, who was at the back table as usual. He asked if Rusl had come back at all.

"He visited once, with deep sorrow. I asked him what was wrong, and he said that he might have found where the Ordanian villagers are. Unfortunately, he was scared off by two of those Noth Grashta creatures. Poor thing. Right when he was about to find happiness, he gets slapped in the face of defeat," explained Auru.

"..!?" (Link). He was shocked to hear that after one month, Rusl had finally reappeared.

"He's probably at Ordon Village right now, wallowing in sadness," said Auru.

* * *

 **Castle Town, the Mask Festival, Daytime**

The town turned into a huge compilation of celebration and festivities. Food vendors opened up in the town square, selling various breads, fruits, seeds, and Ordanian pumpkin dishes. Musicians gathered around the fountain, performing songs about the Twili people and the two realms. A few shop carts were set up as well, advertising handmade clothing and masks.

The group all arrived wearing their masks. Shad and Ashei came, with Shad wearing a sky-being mask and Ashei wearing a yeti-mask. None of them were carrying their weapons because the festival is a time of peace. Subsequently their weapons were locked in the Castle vault. Frederick also took off his large armor, wearing only the white formal shirt, dark blue pants, and a pair of brown boots that Shad lent him.

Everyone was caught up in the festivities, but only Link would be the one that leaves it to look for someone. He was looking for Ren, who hasn't been heard from for a week. Link decided that after waiting, he should check his house. He went to his house, and knocked. A faint voice said "it's open." Link went in, finding that Ren's books were scattered across the floor, along with paper with symbols scribbled on them. He approached Ren, who was at his desk, appearing to be writing something.

"...?" (Link). Link called out Ren's name.

"Link? Well, I wasn't expecting to hear from you during the Mask Festival," replied Ren.

"...?" (Link). Link asked why Ren wasn't at the festival.

Ren turned around, and showed Link a talisman. It had a Hylian "S," written with a strikethrough and a circle over it, and with intricate symbols circling around it. "I've been working on this. An anti-Twilight talisman. Also, nice Twili mask," said Ren.

"..." (Link). Link said that Ren should take a break for once, and come to the festival.

"The villagers are still missing," said Ren.

"..." (Link). Link said that he's been doing it for one month now.

"Fine. After the festival, I'm getting back to finding the villagers," stated Ren.

The two left to the festival, joining the rest of the group. Their rejoice lasted throughout the day, until the sunset, in which the crowd died down a bit. Chrom, Robin, Sumia, and Morgan retired down to the Castle. The rest of them lied against the wall in the center, watching the people go by.

"How often does a festival like this occur in Ylisse?" asked Ren.

"We have a new one, where we celebrate the defeat of Grima," said Gregor.

"It's nice to have a day where we just enjoy ourselves for once. You know, not having to worry about the Twili Risen," said Lon'qu.

"Wow, I wouldn't expect you to say that, Lon'qu," said Lucina.

"Speak for yourself," said Lon'qu.

* * *

 **Castle Town, After Sundown**

As per the usual Castle Town, everyone went inside at night. The only people outside were Hyrulean Guards, Link, Gerome, Lon'qu, and Ren. Ren was outside the walls, placing down the talismans that he made. Link, Gerome, and Lon'qu were sitting by the fountain, with Link's lantern lit. The light from the small hung lanterns around the center gently shined around the area, highlighting the closed merchant stands and vendors. Eventually, Ren came back and sat with the three of them.

"The vacancy's a bit, ominous," said Gerome.

"We haven't seen the Twili Risen in two months," said Ren.

"What do you think they've been doing?" asked Lon'qu.

"Evil things. Making more Twili Risen," said Ren.

"How does that work?" asked Gerome.

"I heard that he takes animals and does stuff to them to make them humanoid and a Twili Risen," answered Ren.

"That's mortifying," said Gerome.

"That, coming from the guy who once tried to get his wyvern to eat his father," said Lon'qu. Gerome rolled his eyes under his mask, while Link and Ren looked at him in confusion.

"Long story, and I don't feel like explaining it here," uttered Gerome.

The four sat out at the fountain, for an hour after nightfall. The four decided to go back to the castle when Link's lantern grew dim.

* * *

 **The Festival, the Second Day**

The second day of the festival went as it did the day before. There were certainly more people, and a few Gorons were among the crowd as well. The Ylisse shepherds were mixed in all around. Robin was down the southern street, looking for food, accompanied by Lon'qu. Gregor was at the café, as well as Gerome, Lucina, and Morgan. Frederick was talking to some of the Gorons in the Western Street, and Chrom and Sumia accompanied Zelda. Ren went up to one of the balconies of a building, drinking a pumpkin tonic. Link walked around aimlessly, leading him to the Western Street. He passed Ren's house and the doctor's house, which referred to the lousy doctor that didn't help Ilia or Ralis. Link looped back to the center, and to the Eastern Street. He was met with a face that he did not anticipate during the festival.

"..." (Link).

"It's been almost two months Link. I think I know where they are," said the helmet-faced man: Rusl. No greeting, no small talk, just straight to the Twilight Risen. "I see that I've come during the Mask Festival. Is this the first or second day?"

Link answered the second day.

"Ah, so you've been here for the first day. Let's go to Telma's Bar. I can tell you where they are, and-" Rusl said.

"...!" (Link). He urged Rusl to calm down. He explained that the Twili Risen haven't attacked for two months, and that he should just, for this day, enjoy the festival.

"But, we can go right now! I've been preparing to face those beasts," said Rusl.

"..." (Link). Link was hesitant. He could go and rescue everyone from Ordon village, but he'd leave his friends. But was Rusl really okay? He did seem to be a bit delirious, and a bit sick. Rusl did let out a few coughs beforehand.

"Why? Why not? Please, Link, we can find them right now," begged Rusl.

"..?" (Link). Link said that he'd rather go the next day, after the festival.

"I... Link..." Rusl whispered. Rusl walked off in a depressed state. Link followed him a bit, and saw him go into Telma's Bar.

"Who was that guy?" said Robin from behind. "I saw him talking to you earlier."

Link jumped to hear Robin's voice. Link couldn't even sense that someone had walked up behind him.

"Did I startle you? Sorry," said Robin, as he ate an apple.

Link left the Southern Street, and joined everyone else in the festivities. Ren stood up on the balcony for a bit longer, but a sudden headache urged him to go down. These were a special kind of headache. Since Ren was now a mix between a person from the Light Realm and the Twilight Realm, he had an innate sense of who was a Twilight being. Normally, it wasn't very useful, since it was easy to tell who was a Twilight being by their appearance. You don't normally see a seven foot tall black beast with a mask everyday in Hyrule. But the Twili Risen are definitely more humanoid, resembling an average human, albeit a shadowy one.

Ren was a trickster with magic. He made his sword look like a fishing rod. He wasn't the only trickster that Lord Grateau had. With magic like Ren's, a Twili Risen could easily look like a human, without the shadowy radiation. Ren heard footsteps behind him. His headache triggered. He took a quick look at the person coming behind him. They had knife hidden in their boot, which Ren could see the handle of.

He turned around and said "May I tempt you with some pumpkin tonic?" The assailant kicked Ren back, and swiftly pulled out their knife. Ren was backed against the wall, and the assailant tried to impale him. Ren ducked, and smashed his glass tonic on to the floor. The knife got jammed in the wall, buying Ren some time. He took the largest piece of broken glass, and stabbed the Twili Risen's upper chest, killing it. It fell to the floor, and Ren took the knife. Ren started to go downstairs, but his headache came back, as two more Twili Risen entered the building. He turned around and went to the balcony. The fall wouldn't be too hard, would it? If he just eased down. Ren moved over the edge, and grabbed the bottom floor paneling of the balony. He looked down, and he'd land in an empty spot. He let go, landed, and disappeared into the crowd.

"Dammit, they're here. They could be anywhere in this crowd," Ren thought. He looked around, at the hordes of citizens. Among them, the Twili Risen. But Ren could not see them. They've come in, with ease, and with an intent. An intent to kill. To usurp.

And bring the Reign of the Second Usurper King.


	10. Chapter 10: The Twilight Crusade

**Chapter: The Twilight Crusade**

 **Castle Town, Noon**

Ren sprinted through the crowd to find Link. He found Link with Chrom, Robin, and Sumia, all near the Western street path. He made sure not to walk in the eyesight of the Twili Risen, and he put on the hood that was on the back of his black poncho. He approached them, and they noticed the distressed look on his face.

"Ren? You look distressed," said Robin.

"The Twili Risen, th-they're here," said Ren.

"What?! Where?" Chrom quickly asked.

"I don't know. They used some magic to conceal themselves. I could only tell because I get a sharp headache whenever one of them is near," Ren quickly stated.

"But how would they get in with weapons?" asked Robin.

"They either hid their small daggers, or they disguised them with magic," answered Ren. "Has anyone checked on the guards outside of the walls?"

After Ren said that, all five of them split up and sprinted to each of the three exits, to check on the guards. The Western Exit: Two guards, both unconscious. The Eastern Exit: Four guards, also all unconscious. The Southern Exit: Eight guards, all unconscious. They regrouped back at the fountain. All of the guards were knocked out, and there were at least three or four Twili Risen in Castle Town.

"Ok, let's think. Where would the Twili Risen go, and what do they want?" said Ren.

"The Radiating Stone in the castle," said Sumia.

"Most likely, but why wouldn't they have tried that during the past month?" questioned Robin.

"What if it's not for the stone? What if they want to get something else, like some form of leverage above us?" questioned Ren.

"What kind of leverage?" asked Chrom.

"Innocent people?" suggested Robin.

"No, they're here, and would have done that by now," said Ren.

"Disrupting the time of peace, maybe? To anger Zelda," said Robin. "But we'd still repel them, even without weapons."

"Wait, that last thing, about Zelda," said Ren.

"Trying to kill Zelda? They wouldn't, they already tried that. And they lost their best soldier," said Robin.

"Not exactly. They have someone else," said Ren.

The four of them looked at Ren in shock and interest.

"A huge Bulbin. Morphed with twilight. He could easily take on Darbus. And that was when I was still there. Who knows what he's like right now," said Ren.

The inevitable came, and the Twili Risen revealed themselves. They let off their disguises, in a black fire that formed around them. About a dozen revealed themselves, and that was just in the Town Square.

"I think we're about to find out," said Chrom.

They split up and rushed around through the fleeing commotion. Link rushed to a Twili Risen closest to the fountain. He grappled him, jabbed his face, and slammed it onto the stone fountain rim. Another one came up behind Link, and he grabbed Link in a choke-hold. Link struggled, and turned the Twili Risen's back to the fountain. Link stepped backwards and brought both of them down into the fountain. Link broke free of the choke-hold, and quickly knocked out the Twili Risen.  
Ren took out a Twili Risen that tried to approach the castle gate, and he grabbed the Twili Risen's two knives. He surveyed the area, and saw one standing over a man with a cane. Ren sprinted and stabbed the Twili Risen. He then helped the man back up. The old man punched Ren to the side, and hit the side of his face with his cane. Ren fell back on to the ground, and with a cut on his left cheek.

"What the, why was that sharp?!" uttered Ren. He looked back at the old man, and the man took of his magic disguise, revealing the cane to be a longsword. The Twili Risen charged at Ren, but he rolled to the side, and swiftly threw the knife into the Twili Risen. Ren grabbed the longsword. The handle had a special gemstone, that could channel magic around the blade when magic was applied to it through the wielder's thumb. The longsword itself was heavy, and if the bottom of the handle was aligned with Ren's hips, the tip of the blade would reach an inch above the top of his head.

The crowds were clearing out in the middle, as everyone was fleeing into a building. The guards brought Zelda back to the Castle, and formed a tight line in front of the gates. At the south street, Chrom, Robin, and Sumia ran to gather everyone else. Gregor, Lucina, Frederick, and Lon'qu were in the alley that led to Telma's Bar. They were unarmed, except for Morgan, who had an arcfire tome that she hid in her coat. The five of them, and Chrom, Robin, and Sumia went to the center. Link and Ren were there, along with numerous Hyrulean guards. They were ill-prepared for battle, and on top of that, more Twili Risen were approaching through the Eastern and Southern gates.

"There're too many of them," said Robin.

"So I assume there's no best course of action?" said Frederick.

"Right, the best option is to flee. We'll at least get out with our lives," said Robin.

"But the people of Hyrule..." said Lucina.

"We don't have weapons, nor do we have enough manpower to take down the Twili Bulbin," said Ren. They all noticed the Twili Bulbin slowly trudging through the southern street. The guards caught sight of it, and they slightly lowered their weapons in fear.

"We can delay them though," said Robin. "Ren, use your ice magic and block off the town square."

Ren quickly pulled the ice sword, and pressed his thumb against the gemstone. He focused, and with a surge of adrenaline, he uttered three thick walls of ice, blocking the Twili Risen off from the town square. Some of the Risen were caught in the ice wall, frozen in place. Ren turned around, and formed another thick wall that blocked off the entrance to the castle. Everyone behind it moved back, putting space between them and the wall. Ren hastily warped through the walls, and reformed. He fell down, grasping on to the longsword.

"That... took... a lot... of... energ-gy," said Ren.

Link and Lon'qu went to Ren's aid, and slung his arms over their shoulders. The group retreated back to the castle. Inside, they set Ren down, and grabbed the weapons that they left in the foyer. Zelda and Midna awaited for them, each with their respective guards.

"What now? Are we gonna fight that thing?" said Robin.

"If it can outmatch a powerhouse like Darbus, what chance to we have at it? There are almost no weakspots in its armor. One would have to jump on to its back, but we wouldn't be able to get remotely close to it," interjected Ren.

"If we can't fight it, then what do we do? Hide in the castle? We can't even leave the castle," said Sumia.

When Sumia mentioned leaving the castle, Link thought of an idea. Leaving Hyrule Castle isn't an option, but leaving Hyrule to Ylisse is. Link drew the Master Sword.

"..." (Link). Link handed Chrom the sword.

"Huh? What are you-?" said Chrom.

"Wait, you're thinking that we should leave Hyrule, aren't you," said Ren.

"We'd leave Hyrule to the Noth Grashtas, we can't do that!" said Lucina.

"..." (Link). Link explained that they're only nine people (not including Zelda and Midna), and about 80 Hyrulean guards, against an equally large army, and with the powerhouse of the Twili Bulbin. The Twili Bulbin could easily dispose of the Hyrulean guard. Link explained that they should flee to Ylisse, with Zelda and Midna. Link would stay and surrender to Lord Grateau.

"Link, he'll kill you," said Robin.

"..." (Link). Not if he's the only person in Hyrule that knows where the stone is.

"You're gambling with your life," said Lucina. A feint crack was heard in the distance outside.

"Link..." said Chrom. Link pushed the sword towards Chrom. Everyone looked around in distraught, unsure of what to do.

"We'll go through. We don't have any other option," said Chrom. "But you have to open the portal, only you can wield the sword correctly."

"..." (Link). Falchion, Master Sword, both have the same context, and Chrom is probably a worthy wielder.

"If you say so..." said Chrom. He held up the Master Sword, in the same manner as Link. The portal opened beneath them. Zelda and Midna stepped in the circle, and they began to fade through. Midna's Twilight guards remained in the castle somewhere, most likely in the throne room. Ren suddenly jumped out of it, coming back into Hyrule.

"If you're staying, I'm staying too," said Ren.

As everyone faded through, Chrom yelled to Link and Ren "We're coming back for you..."

And then there were two warriors, amongst dozens of guards.

"What's your plan now?" asked Ren.

"..." (Link). Wait for them to come.

* * *

 **Town Square, midday**

Lord Grateau approached the castle from the outside with the company of the Twili Bulbin. A party of Twili Risen broke through and breached the castle. Soon after, one of them came back. A tall, long-faced one, dressed with chainmail armor and a tattered cloth hood, hurried to Grateau.

"Lord Grateau, we've breached the castle," said the Twili Risen. "Shall we advance with it?"

"No. Keep him out. And keep the soldiers alive. It's Link and his friends that I want," responded Grateau.

"Right away sir," said the Twili Risen.

That Twili Risen scurried to the castle entrance. He found the Twili Risen, waiting amongst unconscious Hyrulean guards. More notably, Link and Ren, held in custody by a few Twili Risen. They were kneeling with free hands, but with no weapons and with swords inches away from their heads. They did not appear to be scared. They were calm, with almost no expression showing on their faces.

"I only see two. Where are the others?" questioned the Twili Risen.

"They must be hiding somewhere in the castle," responded one Twili Risen.

"Well, search the entire castle! Break down walls if you have to!" yelled the Twili Risen.

A number of Twili Risen flowed into the castle, entering the multitude of hallways and rooms. The Twili Risen approached Ren when the others had left.

"Ren'kir, what a pleasure it is to see you again," the Twili Risen said. "You look a bit anxious."

"You must not look too pleasant if you're wearing a mask, Stervan," replied Ren. "Take the mask off."

The Twili Risen, revealed to be named Stervan, grabbed the mask. It was a small mask, definitely of Twilight origin, colored black, and designed similarly to a Twilight beast's mask. He removed the mask, and under it were scars, wrinkles, and burns. They were more visible due to Stervan's skin tone being a much lighter purple.

"If I recall correctly, one of your brigands used a fire spell on my face, when they escaped the cave," stated Stervan. "Fortunately, there was a large pot of water."

"Don't expect us to feel remorse," said Ren. Stervan quickly side-hooked Ren's face in a burst of anger.

"I'm not in a patient mood, Ren. You two know what we want, and we'll weed out all of your measly street fighters and interrogate them all!" shouted Stervan.

"Prepare to be disappointed if you want the stone," said Ren, putting a smirk on his face.

"You little," Stervan responded angrily, drawing his silver sword.

"Don't kill them Stervan," Lord Grateau interrupted. "I've decided that I want them alive for now. You can do what you want with them later."

Stervan sheathed his sword with a grunt.

"Don't jest with me. Answer now, and you won't suffer the same fate as Ganondorf," Lord Grateau said.

"You're horrible at negotiating. There's no way you'd be able to get the stone," replied Ren.

"..." (Link). Link said that the stone is with the others, a dimension away in Ylisse.

Grateau scoffed. "Dimensional barriers haven't stopped me. But your pride has yielded the information that I need. And because of that, I won't kill you. Stervan, bring them to the Town Square, and chain them to the fountain. I want the Hyruleans to know that their only hope has fallen."

"Right away, milord."

* * *

 **Town Square, Before Sunset**

"How are you holding up?" asked Ren.

"..." (Link). Not well, considering that they're chained to a fountain, guarded by two dozen Twili Risen.

"Was this part of your plan to surrender?" asked Ren.

"..." (Link). Not entirely, but still possible.

The sun was still out, and Link still had his shadow. In that shadow was the strength of multiple soldiers. Twilight soldiers, to be exact. They weren't in the castle. The hid in Link's shadow. In the blink of an eye, they warped out of Link's shadow, and accosted the Twili Risen. The weaponry of the Twili Risen was no match to the equipment of the Twilight soldiers. They had dark armor and double ended spears. They quickly impaled the Twili Risen, and another other approaching ones. The leader sliced the chains, freeing Ren and Link.

"Come with me, quickly!" the leader said.

The three of them scuttled to the eastern gate, and the Twilight soldier plowed a clear path with his double ended spear. When they were on the wooden bridge, the leader closed the doors to the bridge, but remained inside. Ren and Link were already outside, and halfway across the bridge. Link stopped and looked back at the closed doors, knowing that the leader probably died with the rest of the Twilight soldiers. Ren grabbed on to Link's arm, and warped them out of castle town's walls. On the exterior of the walls, there were the talismans that Ren put up. He placed his hand on one, and twilight emanated from his arm to the talisman. The symbols on it shined a bright red, as well as the other one on the eastern wall, and presumably the ones on the other walls too.

"We're fine now. That's an anti-Twilight talisman. Twilight can't get in or out," said Ren.

Link sat down, facing the castle. No sword, no shield, cut off from everyone, and probably being hunted by other Twili Risen. They escaped Hyrule, but left it in control of the Noth Grashta, not welcome in the Twilight Realm, and not welcome in the Light World.

"Now what?" questioned Ren.


	11. Chapter 11: The Sacred Hiding Place

**Chapter 11: The Sacred Hiding Place**

 _ **Hyrule Field, Night**_

Link and Ren walked to the middle of Hyrule Field, to make sure that they weren't followed by Twili Risen that weren't in Castle Town. They didn't have any weapons, and Link didn't have any of his equipment on him. His equipment was still in the castle, where his sword and shield were. Though, that wasn't of any thought to Link at the moment. The two of them were focused on finding a safe place.

They didn't have a Link's horse call, but he could always just get a horse reed that grew from the ground. He plucked one out, and played Epona's song. Epona came to them, riding from the south. Link and Ren mounted on, with Ren in the back. They rode back to Ordon Village without any interruptions.

* * *

 _ **Ylisstol Castle, Night**_

Everyone arrived in Ylisstol safely. Everyone was distraught and saddened from abandoning Hyrule.

"We shouldn't have left them there," said Lucina.

"Ren said it himself. We couldn't have taken on that creature with the meager weapons we had," replied Robin.

Lucina let out a sigh with anger.

"He's right, you know," said Lon'qu. "We'd be dead or worse."

"Well Link and Ren are probably dead, or worse," Lucina uttered.

"Ren, maybe, but not Link," said Robin. "Link knows where the Master Sword and the Radiating stone are. The Twili Risen will probably interrogate him, and keep him alive."

"Also, if we wanted to go back, we'd have to warp in outside of Hyrule. Going inside would be a death trap, with all of the Twili Risen walking around," said Morgan.

"Regardless of whether they're dead or not, we aren't leaving Hyrule like that. We've fought worse. Grateau isn't going to win," said Chrom.

The room grew silent after Chrom spoke.

"Anyone care if I interrupt?" said Zelda. Everyone turned their heads to her.  
"I know everyone wants to go back, but we can't be too hasty. Rushing in would be foolish. Although, we have more than enough to defeat Grateau, as Chrom said," said Zelda. "For the rest of the day, everyone should rest."

"She's right. We just escaped," said Chrom. "We can plan an attack tomorrow."

* * *

 _ **Ordon Village, Morning**_

Link sat up to a calm morning. The sunlight crept in through the slightly ajar door. He was still groggy, so it didn't bother him that the door was open. The fire was burning in his fireplace, and a small stack of kindling lay next to it. The sun was still shining, and the bright light shined through the top window, on to the top platform, where Link lied. He covered his eyes as he sat up. He stood up, and put his other hand in his hair and rustled it. No hat. He looked down to an empty house.  
Everything seemed too normal. No Chrom, no Robin, no Twili Risen trying to attack, and no Master Sword.

Too normal it seemed... until he looked down.

...The Hero's tunic. He let out a gasp. Dammit, Link thought. He's still in the middle of a battle with the Noth Grasthas. He finally recalled the events of the past two days. They attacked Castle Town during the Mask Festival, and took over Hyrule. Zelda, Midna, Chrom, and the Ylissean shepheards escaped to Ylisse. Link and Ren were the only ones that remained. Wait, where is Ren, Link thought. He climbed down from the platform and called out Ren's name. He looked at the door and found his hat on the handle. Link put his hat on and went outside. Ren was in the front plot, throwing darts at Link's scarecrow.

"You're awake. You were exhausted when we got back," said Ren.

"...?" (Link). He asked where Ren got the darts.

"I have three of them hidden in my scarf. That's the one place that they forget to look," answered Ren.

"..." (Link).

"I don't know what to do. We have no equipment, and we're two men against an army of a hundred or so. Unless we can find other people," said Ren.

"..." (Link). Link suggested that they go to Kakariko Village and see if they've been attacked.

"Man, I forgot about Kakariko Village. And what about the Zora's Domain?" responded Ren.

"..." (Link). He assured Ren that there was a small chance that the Twili Risen could maneuver north to the Domain.

"Alright. I guess Kakariko Village is our only option," said Ren.

* * *

 _ **Ylisstol, Night (On the same day that they arrived back)**_

Robin sat in the barracks, drawing out a crude and simplistic map of Castle Town and the small area around it. His eyes grew dark bags under them, to a point where he started to look like Tharja. His hand sagged a bit as he drew, and his breathing was blatantly heavier and tense. He started marking down names of people in the army in certain places. He marked down Lon'qu at the Western entrance and Gaius at the Eastern entrance. Virion was marked at the southern entrance. Three archers had to be spread out to kill any Twili Risen guards on the walls.

He was about to move on to people who would lead each group, but he dropped his quill at the sound of Chrom's voice.

"What are you doing up here this late?" asked Chrom. "Seeing how everyone else is asleep."

"I can't sleep. Too anxious," answered Robin. "How are Sumia and Lucina holding up?"

"Sumia's tending to Lucina. Wait, uh, Lucina as in the one from this time period," answered Chrom. "Are you still hung up on leaving Link and Ren?"

"Yeah. I can't find anything to take my mind off of it," replied Robin.

Chrom glanced at the map, and asked "What's this?"

"A map of Hyrule Castle. And the beginning of an attack plan."

"I appreciate your studious actions, but you should really find a way to get some sleep."

"I've tried every home remedy that I know."

"Not even a spell, or any other kind of magic?"

Robin paused for a moment, and replied "Actually, I haven't thought of that. Though I'm not sure that I could do a spell on myself."

After Robin responded, Tharja interjected. "I can help you with that." She came out through the dark and closed entrance in the back.

"How long have you been listening to us?" Chrom asked sternly.

"Long enough to know that my Robin has a sleeping problem."

"Please, don't call me that," Robin said as he gripped tightly to an arcfire tome. "Although, how effective is this spell of yours?"

"Oh, very effective. I've tested it out on a lot of creatures," she answered.

"If it puts me sleep, I guess we can try it out," Robin responded.

"Alright," Tharja said. "But uh, Lord Chrom, you should leave. I have this handled-"

"No," Chrom responded.

"Fine." Tharja whirled up a dark gray puff of dust within her left hand. She flung it at Robin's head in a singular stream. It moved and twisted around his head, putting him to sleep. "See, it worked. Now, to teleport him to his room-"

"Alright. Go, you're done here," said Chrom.

* * *

 _ **Kakariko Village**_

Link and Ren rode across Hyrule Field on Epona. They stopped at the exterior gate, which appeared to be untouched. There were no Goron guards, and the gates were wide open. The two of them got off Epona, and felt uneasy at the sight of the empty gate.

"No Gorons, and no Twili Risen. Should we be scared or relieved?" asked Ren.

Ren walked in first, and on to the pathway that leads to the village. He looked back at Link and motioned his hand for Link to come in. Link grabbed Epona's reins and led her in. The three of them slowly made their approach into the village. And then, there was... nothing. Instead of a tumbleweed, there was a chicken walking around. Not a sound stirred as the wind howled through the air. No one was seen outside, or holed up on one of the rooftops.

Link looked to the sanctuary. There wasn't any immediate damage, or anything of the sort. It looked as vacant as the rest of the village did. His eyes wandered around the outside of it, until a minor detail caught his sight. The torches. Both of them still had embers burning bright. Link tapped Ren's shoulder and pointed it out. Ren in response went up tried to open the door. It was locked from the inside. In response he went and knocked on the sanctuary door.

"Hey, Renado! Open up!" said Ren. "It's Ren and Link!"

A clicking sound was heard from the inside. Ren pushed the door, and it was ajar. Ren and Link slowly entered the sanctuary. They were both met with a whack to each of their faces. They stumbled backwards, and from the sides, Renado and Shad revealed themselves. "Damn, it really is them," both of them thought. Renado lowered his spear, and Shad lowered his makeshift club, made out of a two wooden poles tied together. Link and Ren looked at the two of them in relief.

"My apologies, Link. We were uncertain of whether or not this was a ploy by the Twili Risen," Renado said.

"We're glad to know you're still alive. Shad, we thought you and everyone else were still in Hyrule. Who else is here?" asked Ren.

"Ashei, Auru, Renado, Luda, Telma, Barnes, and Rusl," answered Shad.

"...!" (Link). Link's mind jumped when Shad said that Rusl was there.

"Yeah. He got us out of Castle Town when the Twili Risen started to come in," said Shad. "He's downstairs right now with the others."

The four of them entered the basement area of the sanctuary. As of Castle Town's takeover, Rusl, Ashei, Auru, and Shad were using it as their base of operations. Telma's bar wouldn't be a discrete place, with the Twili Risen helping themselves to its food supply. Everyone in the Hyrule "Resistance" gathered in the main room, containing the dominion statues. They were lifted when they saw Link and Ren.

"Link?! I thought you were trapped in Castle Town!" exclaimed Rusl.

"..." (Link). He and Ren escaped, he told them.

"And who is this man with you?"

"Ren'kir, Ren for short. I've been helping Link and everyone else," answered Ren.

"Speaking of, where is everyone else?" asked Ashei.

"Safe, back in their Realm," said Ren.

"What about the Hyrule Army?" asked Rusl.

"Probably rounded up underground in the prison chambers. The Twili Risen wouldn't kill them yet," said Ren.

"Why's that?" asked Auru.

"He wants an audience first. One that has me and Link in it," answered Ren.

"We're just a few people against hundreds of murderous crusaders, aren't we?" uttered Shad.

"That's the current situation," said Ren.

* * *

 _Later..._

Link approached Rusl, in the circular room of the sanctuary basement. The only things in the room filled with patches of weeds were a large chest and a larger cabinet. The ornate design of both were made by a carpenter in Castle Town. The dark brown color was in contrast to the desert color of the earth surrounding the room.

"..." (Link). Link called to Rusl, and asked what was in the chest and the cabinet.

"Just a few weapons," he answered.

It certainly wasn't just a few weapons. Rusl opened the chest, and there were at least a dozen knives and a short-sword. The knives had a wavy shape, and would give off a bright shine if Rusl held it in the sunlight that peered down from above. Link opened the cabinet, to find more much longer swords, a bow, and a quiver full of arrows.

"...!" (Link). Link felt that "just a few weapons" was a complete understatement.

"Either way, help yourself. I noticed that you didn't have any gear. Where is all that stuff anyway?" asked Rusl.

"..." (Link).

"Nothing left? Well, hopefully they aren't helping themselves to the Hylian Armory."

"...?" (Link). Link asked why he gathered all the weapons.

"I told you in Castle Town. I found them. Colin, Malo, Beth, Talo, everybody. In the one damn place that we didn't think to look: The Sacred Grove," said Rusl. "I didn't think that they'd be able to get over there, but they managed to build bridges, and avoid all the traps."

"...?" (Link).

"Well, that's where I need your help, and that Ren fellow. You're much more experienced with these guys than I am. I'd be dead a few moments after going there. They're running a tight shift," Rusl explained. "I want to get them out as soon as possible."

"..." (Link). Link stated that they could go later, before nightfall, while they still have daylight.

"Alright. It's been a few months already. I don't want them sitting in there any longer."

* * *

 _ **Ylisstol, a few days later**_

Robin felt a light flick on his forehead. His eyes were still closed, and he barely opened them up enough to make out the shape of Morgan's face. The bright sunlight liberally shined through the large windows of Robin's room. Robin averted to the other side, and lifted himself to an upright position.

"Wake up sleepyhead," Morgan said. "It's nine o clock."

"Nine?" Robin said quietly. "Wait, where am I?"

"Um, your room," she answered. "You don't remember going back to sleep last night?"

"Um, sort of. Tharja had to use a sleeping spell on me again because I haven't been able to sleep these past few days," Robin said. "Oh man, what happened after last night?!"

"Chrom and mother carried you here."

"Whew, I was scared that Tharja used me as a-"

"All that matters is you got some shut eye, father."

"Is Say'ri at the barracks?"

"Mother's there with everyone else. Chrom is holding a meeting for people who didn't go to Hyrule. He wants you down there, which is why he sent me."

"Alright, tell him that I'll be there quickly."

Robin sharply rose from his bed, and looked for his tactician robe. In his wardrobe, he took out his Levin sword and sheathed it to his belt. He closed the wardrobe and faced Morgan, who was waiting be the bedroom door. She let out a small chuckle, to Robin's confusion.

"Father, is that a blood stain on your shirt?" she asked.

He looked down, and saw a small splatter of a maroon liquid on the bottom of his shirt.

"Um, one moment please," he responded.

* * *

 _ **Shepherd Barracks**_

Every Shepherd in Ylisstol was in the barracks. It surprised Robin that everyone could fit in there. The commanders of Ylissean army were attending too. Chrom really wanted everyone to be there. Chrom was finishing up explaining the current situation in Hyrule.

"We're not going to leave them behind. Once we have a plan, we're going taking Hyrule back," said Chrom.

"Dismissed," said a general standing next to Chrom.

The crowd broke apart, with everyone flowing out of the barracks. Out of the many that left, two came forward: Khan Flavia and Basilio.

"Hearty speech Chrom," said Basilio.

"I saw you come in before we started. I wasn't expecting the Khans of Regna Ferox to be here," replied Chrom.

"It was quite the tale that you were telling. To think there would be another kingdom out there," said Flavia.

"True to every detail," said Robin. "Although, what brings you to Ylisstol?"

"Word sent out quickly between the Shepherds. A flight by Pegasus and Wyvern brought us to Ylisse," answered Flavia. "We want to help."

"We can need all the help we can get. We're dealing with a group that could take over the capitol of a Kingdom," replied Robin. "Though first, a plan has to be established."

"Which you are in the works of?" asked Flavia.

"I've got it mostly figured out," said Robin.

"Kid, you're forgetting one thing: Do we know what the inside of this town looks like? We can't charge in half-assed. Not like our first attempt to kill Gangrel," explained Basilio.

Robin looked down in deep thought. He never considered how powerful the bulbin leader was, or what their numbers were. His hastiness caused himself to make a few errors in his plan. The Twili Risen also probably helped themselves to the Hylian Armory

"Don't get down, kid. You've got support from me, Flavia, and Regna Ferox's best soldiers," stated Basilio.

"Ylisse and Hyrule express their gratitude for your support," said Chrom.

After their short conversation, they took note of how they were the only ones left in the Barracks. Robin said that he would get to the plan for Castle Town's invasion, but Chrom suggested that they do it with the help of Zelda and Midna. Soon after, Chrom, Robin, Zelda, Midna, Flavia, and Basilio were in the barracks, planning their takeover.

* * *

 _ **North Faron Woods, Afternoon**_

Link, Ren, and Rusl reshaped into Faron Woods, from the Twilight portals that floated up above. All three of them had their swords sheathed, and on their backs with their wooden shields. Ren had his darts in a pouch that hung from his shoulder. Not only were his regular darts in there, but darts that were hastily made from wood branches. They looked cheap at first, but not so much when there is a giant wooden splinter in your shoulder blade. Link brought a wooden bow, and a quiver of thirty arrows. Rusl only had the sword and the shield, but he held a battle ready stance with his helmet on.

"It looks like there are four of them. Two archers, and two swordsmen. Get the archers first," said Ren.

Link and Ren, hid behind the rock terrain, on each side of the opening that led further into the woods. Link readied his bow with an arrow, and Ren took out a dart. They leaned to the side, and took aim. Their partially exposed bodies didn't attract any attention. Both of them fired with simultaneous timing. Two down, each in one shot. The swordsmen jerked their heads to the three of them. Ren and Link hid back against the wall. Link put back his bow and took out his sword and shield, as did Ren. The three of them charged out of cover, only to stop and see that the two Twili Risen were gone.

"Dammit. They're probably on their way to alert the others right now," said Ren. "This just got harder than it needed to be."

* * *

It's been a while since I updated, hasn't it?

-Kaz


	12. Chapter 12: Divine Intervention

**Chapter 12: Divine Intervention**

 ** _The Sacred Grove_**

Link, Ren, and Rusl stood in doubt at the pathway to the Sacred Grove. The two Twili Risen retreated back, and were definitely coming back with more. At the sign of more than a dozen Twili Risen, the three of them would be ready to bolt out of there.

"How fast can you get us out of here?" asked Rusl.

"In about ten seconds, if you two keep contact with my body," answered Ren.

"..." (Link). He said that he heard them coming.

"I can see them now. Quick, run!" yelled Rusl.

As expected one and half dozen of the Twili Risen were charging out, armed with longswords and bows. One keen archer walked up in front and took aim. Ren, Rusl, and Link were running to the spot that they arrived in, so they could get cover, and be farther away from the arrow shots of the archers. They were almost at the spot. The archer took aim at Ren, and fired. The arrow whistled through the air, and it lowered as it flew. The arrow shot into Ren's leg, as he was about to warp the three of them out. He fell down, screamed, and they all panicked. They didn't know what to do.

The Twili Risen piled off the bridge and readily ran toward them, ready to kill them. After their escape, Lord Grateau only wanted Link alive. He couldn't care less of what they would do to Ren. Rusl would be an added bonus.

"Keep Link alive!" shouted the archer in front.

They surrounded and enclosed the three of them in.

"How many people have you taken on at once, Link?" Rusl asked.

"..." (Link). Six at the most, and with the Master Sword. Using a lower sword and against more than a dozen? Not a chance.

Link and Rusl backed up, dragging Ren with them, until they were against the wall. The Twili Risen stood in their enclosing formation. The archer took out an arrow and readied it.

"Oh Ren'kir. How unfortunate that you must die by my arrow. I was sure that Stervan wanted to gut you with his swords," said the archer.

"Believe me, I'd prefer the quick death," replied Ren.

"After all, you were Lord Grateau's right hand man. Or at least one of them," the archer said. "Don't worry, I'll make this quick."

He aimed his bow at Ren and let go. He fired the killing arrow. That of which, was not the killing arrow, since it didn't hit him at all, nor did it kill anything else. It stopped a few feet in front of him, as if it hit an invisible stone wall. The air in front of them blurred and distorted, like on a hot summer day. The distortions could be made out to resemble a human figure. The archer gasped with anger, and shot another arrow. It was blocked again, with a metallic clink. At the ground of the distortion, color faded on it, from the bottom up. First, a pair of legs with white legwear and white boots with dirt stains. Then, brown upper body armor with vines hanging down. The arms revealed bronze gauntlets, a shield. and a shining sword. Finally, the head that rested upon the shoulder plates had a helmet with a T shaped opening in the front, and metal extensions on the top, and the sides of the helmet. Under the helmet was a skull face, with a red right eye.

The Hero's Shade.

The Twili Risen stepped back and readied their weapons. They had no idea what had just appeared in front of them. A tall skeleton, clad in armor, and bigger than all of them was not the most assuring thing to see. For them at least. For Link, it was a godsend. The Hero's Shade grasped his sword, in his left hand, and swiftly struck a horizontal slice in the archer, killing him. The sword wielders of the Twili Risen piled on to the Hero's Shade. He blocked them with his shield and sword, and pushed them back with his strength. He took two more sword swings, and killed a three of them. Four more of them came, and they were overpowered as well. The remaining four backed away, and proceeded to flee. The Hero's Shade dashed forward, with immense speed, leaving a trail of ghostly figures of himself behind him. With a dash, he swung his sword and killed one. He stopped for a second, and then dashed forward and killing the next, the next, and finally the last.

The Hero's Shade turned around and went back to Link. Link and Rusl were in awe at his appearance. Ren would have shown the same reaction, had it not been for the arrow that was jammed in his leg. The Hero's Shade sheathed his sword and shield.

"Keep your leg still," said the Hero's Shade. He cupped Ren's thigh, where the arrow shot through.

"Who are you? Or what are you?" asked Rusl.

"I am the Hero's Shade," he answered.

"The Hero's what?" asked Ren.

"Let's just say I'm an ancestor of Link."

"..." (Link). Link asked how he was here.

"The chasm between the living and the dead grows smaller, thinner. I would not expect that I come back here, but a few visions in the world of the dead showed the dilemma that you three were in. I had to come help," he answered.

He pressed his hand around Ren's arrow wound. A light blue essence drifted between the shade's hand and Ren's leg. Ren flinched back, letting out a gasp of pain. As the essence flowed, the shade pulled the arrow out. It did not cause Ren any more pain, as if it warped through and out of his leg. After the arrow was out, the muscle and the skin rapidly repaired, leaving no trace of an arrow wound.

"How did you-" asked Ren.

"I am the ghost of the Hero of Time. It's one of my abilities as a spirit," said the shade.

"The Hero of Time? And Link is your descendant?" questioned Rusl.

"Very distant, but part of the bloodline nonetheless. 'Twas nearly 800 years ago."

"..." (Link). He asked what happened after he warned Zelda about Ganon.

"Hyrule readied its armies. We prevented him from usurping the throne. He was, not amused, to say the least. He invaded after. The war lasted five years. On our side, we had Hylians, Gorons, and Zoras. We won, and his execution was to be put in order. The Gerudo were forced out of their homes. But the female warriors weren't relocated. They disappeared. I was never too sure what happened to them. Soon after, a prison was built to hold its lone prisoner: Ganondorf. During its construction, a dark artifact was discovered. You call it the Mirror of Twilight." he explained.

The Hero's Shade paused, and later said "I'm sure you know the rest of the botched execution plan that failed. Hyrule itself changed. Eventually, the Zoras would retreat farther North. Contact with them decreased, and that was only within my lifetime. Princess Zelda grew up, and eventually became the Queen."

"But what happened to you? Was there no happy ending for you? I mean, you look like a stalfos," said Ren.

"I wandered off. I had a brief stay in another land called Termina, but I returned after I was done. When I was older, I became a knight for the Hylian army. It must have become rather sluggish, seeing how weak they are," answered the Shade.

"..." (Link). Link said that since the Shade was his distant grandfather, who was the distant grandmother.

The shade had another pause, looked down and said "A woman from a ranch. Her name was Malon. She was everything to me. And that's also why you're from a small village with a ranch."

"You had your adventures, your knighthood, and your home life with a wife and a child. How exactly did you die?" asked Ren.

"I was an elderly man. It was inevitable. I do not know of anyone who can escape the inexorable passage of time," the shade answered. "With that, I asked my son to take me to the Kokiri Forest. One look, and I think my body gave out there."

The shade took his hand off on Ren's thigh. The wound was sealed, and his leg brand new.

"Alright. Get up. We have some people to save," said the shade.

* * *

 _ **Ylisstol**_

Gathered in the candle-lit room were Chrom, Robin, Zelda, Midna, Basilio, and Flavia. The candle chandeliers hung above, in a room surrounded by the dark depths of the night. They met in the midst of planning an attack on Hyrule. Chrom had ordered that the Ylisstol militia would attack in Hyrule. Flavia and Basilio organized an elite strike team, consisting of twenty-eight men. The Ylissean-Feroxi force would lead the attack, all throughout the city. Midna and Zelda would rally all citizens out of the town.

The attack plan first started with archers killing off the Twili Risen on top of the patrol walls. Basilio would lead into the southern wall, Lon'qu into the east, and Gaius in the west. After the archers were taken care of, Lon'qu, Gaius, and Gregor would sneak in. They would investigate and scope out the area before charging in. Specifically, they'd look for the Twili Bulbin leader. Ylissean forces would wait outside the walls, out of sight, until the three of them lit a signal flare. At the sight of the signal flare, all of them would charge in.

It all seemed in order, until Robin pointed out one hole in the plan.

"But how are we going to have hundreds of soldiers cross through the world barrier into Hyrule? Each time we've done it, it's only been a little over a dozen people. There's no way that we'd get hundreds of people," he said.

Everyone looked down, thinking "What now? How is this plan going to work?"

"I have a seemingly plausible theory," stated Zelda. "You can infuse your sword with the Radiating Stone. That could make so powerful that the tears in time could grow so large that an army can pass through."

"Would that have any negative side effects to, well, time itself?" asked Robin.

"It's a risk we have to take," replied Midna.

"I'm not sure about the stone though. Infusing the stone with one of the three swords is what Lord Grateau wanted, isn't it?" said Chrom.

"Then we just need to make sure that we don't lose!" exclaimed Basilio.

"We also need whatever power we can get against the Twili Bulbin leader," said Zelda. "A normal Bulbin leader is one problem, but another infused with Twilight is a threat that parallels to Zant or Lord Grateau himself."

"Then the attack is settled. We arm ourselves tomorrow, and depart by midday," stated Chrom.

In the plan, they expected to find Link and Ren in the castle dungeons, or chained up somewhere. Hopefully, they weren't dead, and it was in their best hopes that they were not. They would certainly encounter them.

* * *

 _ **The Sacred Grove**_

The four of them passed over the wooden bridges built by the Twili Risen. The traps that Link previously encountered were not to be seen, probably displaced in the bottomless pits that laid beneath them. Until now, the only ones with knowledge of the Sacred Grove were Link, Midna, Rusl, and Zelda. Link had only gone their to pull the Master Sword and find the Temple of Time.

"It's been long since I've wandered these parts. I remember when there were ageless children inhabiting these forests," said the Hero's Shade.

"Speaking of you being here, what did you mean before when you said 'the chasm between the living and the dead?'" asked Ren.

"Your world and the realm of the dead. An afterlife, of sorts. The realm of the dead is but a dark reflection of the world you inhabited in your time. A good soul would have no trouble down there, but the wicked lay in a decaying state. A mere remnant of who they once were," explained the shade. "They try to get to the other side of a dark chasm. To the world of the living. But no matter how much they tried, they would just get pulled back down by the imprisoned hands the wait from below. As for me, the gap was thinning. Each side was coming closer. I was able to come at the right time."

"The right time? How'd you know that we were about to get killed?" Rusl asked.

The shade didn't answer. He halted, and then everyone else. They were blocked by the wooden barriers that kept trespassers out. They looked with dumbfounded expressions.

"Do you hear that?" asked the shade. "In the distance, somewhere."

They listened, trying to hear past the howl of the winds and the rustle of the leaves. Hidden among those sounds, a faint tune from a horn of some sort. The shade knew the song that was playing. "F, A, B" he thought. Those were the notes. He sheathed his sword and clenched what would be his lower chest. He slowly lifted his hand away from it, simultaneously forming a navy blue object in his hands. It formed from seemingly nothing, and just pieced together by tiny particles. There were holes in it, and a stout-like tip at the top, with a hole on the top. In his hand, he held the completed object: an ocarina.

The shade put the ocarina up to what would be his mouth, grasping it with both hands. He blew into it, and played a single tone. How he was able to blow air and play an ocarina, despite being a skeleton-like ghost, Ren did not know. How he formed an object out of nothing, Rusl did not know. How he had an ancient artifact that was supposed to be locked in a hidden vault, guarded with dozens of arrow traps and poison traps, Link did not know. Disregarding all of this, the shade began to play a nice upbeat tune that was the same as the one coming from the horn. He played the rhythm three times, "F-A-B, F-A-B, F-A-B." Then he played "E-D-B-C-B-G-E-D-E-G-E-." The horn in the distance responded with the same, but after the first three tunes, he played "E-D-B-C-E-B-G-B-G-D-E-."

The wooden barrier faded away. The four of them passed through a corridor, and were immediately greeted by a short figure, dressed in brown motley-like clothing, and a scarecrow hat. The figure lifted his head up and looked to them, revealing the blue face and the bright red eyes. Skull kid.

"I know you aren't going to hurt me because you know that song. I was once friends with a fairy boy who knew that song, and taught it to me. I do wonder what happened to him," said the Skull Kid. "But how do you know that song?"

"I am that fairy boy," answered the shade.

"You? You can't be. You're a skeleton man. Not a fairy boy," Skull Kid responded. "You, you look more like the fairy boy." He pointed towards Link.

The shade walked to him, kneeled down, and looked in the Skull Kid's eyes. He held up the ocarina and said "Look, this is the ocarina. The very same one. And look into my face. Can't you see?"

Skull kid looked into the shade's face. A faint but light figure appeared in front of his face. A ghostly apparition of the face of the Hero of Time. The Skull Kid winced, then straightened back up.

"But how? If you are the fairy boy, why do you look like this?" he asked.

"I've been dead for 800 years. But I should ask you how you're still alive, if you're the very same skull kid," replied the shade.

"800 years? Has it been that long?"

"What do you mean? Of course it has been. Over 800 years since Termina and Majora."

"I don't know. I see day and night, but it feels frozen in here."

"Frozen?" asked the shade.

"Listen, I hate to break up your reunion with your, uh, scarecrow friend, but we came here to find the Ordon villagers," interrupted Ren.

"You want the villagers? I can lead you to them, but you guys have to get rid of those mean guys with swords," responded Skull Kid.

"That won't be a problem," said Ren.

* * *

 ** _Ylisstol, 30 Minutes from Midnight_**

The soldiers of the Shepherd army were at this hour, sound asleep. Their gear was refined, sharpened, at waiting to be wielded the following day. Robin lied in bed, beside Say'ri. Both were sound asleep, after a night of preparation. Robin turned to face Say'ri, who was facing the other way. Although he could only see her back, it gave him a warm feeling just to be near her. Especially since they're going into a battle where they might not leave to tell the tale. Surely they would not meet their ends, right? He'd rather not ponder the question, nor could he, since he was then fully asleep.

In the royal bedroom, tentatively guarded by Ylissean guards, Chrom and Sumia lied in bed together. Sumia held present-day Lucina in her grasp, as all three of them laid soundly asleep. Chrom was barely awake, but he could not help but focus on the light-headed feeling that he had. Then again, how could he care if he was already asleep.

?

Chrom and Robin found themselves in the completely white room. Naga's mind link. She appeared before them, in her heavenly glow, producing a blinding light in the white room.

"Why are we here?" asked Chrom. "In fact, how are we here?"

"You two are fine. You're both asleep, but I've tapped into your dreams so that you two are here," she answered. "But please, if you are going to do anything, make it so that you stop what you are doing."

"What are you talking about, your highness?" asked Robin.

"Your plan to go back to the land you call Hyrule. Your movement between each realm is only making the barriers between worlds weaker and weaker. If you keep cutting deeper, you'll eventually cut of the entire arm," she explained.

"You know we can't do that. We have to help the people of Hyrule. And help Link and Ren," said Robin.

"Doing something as big as what you plan to do may have... cataclysmic effects. Empowering the sword can only make it worse," said Naga. "That which keeps the realms from colliding into each other is but a thread above an open flame. Are you sure that you want to drop it?"

They paused, unknowing of a response, until Chrom popped back up.

"It's a risk we have to take. For the greater good," he said.

 _ **Morning, 2 Hours before departure**_

"Hey, Robin. Did you-" asked Chrom.

"Yeah. I saw it too," answered Robin. "Please don't tell me you're having second thoughts. It's like when I was considering on sacrificing myself to destroy Grima completely."

"I'm not. I just wanted to make sure that it was real," Chrom said.

"Everyone's doing their last rounds before we leave. Surely you're not just going to sit in this room for the next two hours."

"Oh, no, we still need to infuse the stone with Falchion."

"Okay, here."

Robin took the Radiating Stone out from the inside of his robe. It was glowing brightly, ejecting light to every corner of the room. If held in the air, it could outshine the sun.

"It's been glowing haywire since I brought it in here. Must be cause Falchion is near," said Robin.

"Hm, let's see," said Chrom.

Chrom lifted Falchion so that the tip of the blade touched the stone. Even with the gentle touch, the stone suddenly shattered, and fiery orange essence coated the blade. Edge to edge, not a spot left untouched by the stone's essence. This continued until there was no more color left in the stone. After, it looked like a broken glass paperweight. The sword itself felt more versatile. Chrom stood up and tested it. It swung more swiftly through the air, leaving an orange trail after each swing. He then sheathed it.

"I'd say that we're ready. I'll see all of you in two hours," Chrom said.

* * *

 _I know the whole part with the Hero's Shade is all Deus Ex Machina, but I wanted to work him into the story, even if it's just a short cameo for this chapter and the next._

 _-Kaz_


	13. Chapter 13: Wrong Place, Wrong Time

**Chapter 13: Wrong Place, Wrong Time**

 **Sacred Grove**

Skull kid led Link, Rusl, the shade, and Ren through the grove. He'd play old songs and tunes on his horn instrument to open pathways and tunnel, previously blocked by wooden barriers. The shade recognized the various songs that he played. Along with the Song of Saria, the shade recognized the Sun's song, the Minuet of Forest, and the Bolero of Fire. They had not encountered the Twili Risen, and the path seemed clear.

"Hey, where exactly are we going?" asked Ren.

"The place with the two statues. It's up ahead through this tunnel," answered Skull kid.

"Is that where the 'evil men' are?" asked Rusl.

"Yeah. They look dangerous," said Skull kid.

The four of them readied their swords and shields. They approached the tunnel, and halfway through, they charged in. Link took in the environment in a split second. The Ordon Villagers were all herded together to the left of the statues. There were at least a dozen Twili Risen. About half of them were sitting on the collapsed pillars. A few others were hacking away at the stone door that lied between the two statues. The rest were gathered around a cauldron, cooking what smelled like pumpkin soup.

It didn't take long for them to notice the presence of four intruders. The Twili Risen dropped what they were doing, and hurried for their swords. The first three clashed with Link, Ren, and Rusl. Two clashed with the Hero's Shade. The shade pushed one back and stabbed is chest, but in the brief moment, the other swung his sword to slice the exposed elbow joint of the shade's left arm. It didn't hit. Literally. It wasn't that it was a bad swing, but the sword went through the bones like air. The Twili Risen, pulled back in panic, and the shade sliced him. The next four lined and held a stance, keeping a distance from them. Ren took out four of his darts, and readied them in his left hand. He slipped one into his right hand, and launched it into one of the Twili Risen. Then he did the next, and the next, and the next, until all four of them were dead. The last three formed a wall around the villagers. One in the center grabbed Colin, Rusl's son. He held a knife above his head in his right hand, with Colin in the grip of his left arm.

"Colin!" shouted Rusl. "Don't you hurt a single hair on his-"

Rusl was cut short by the loud, brazen tone the Skull kid played from is horn. Everyone curled back at the sound of the note. When they looked up, there were six more people in the room. Well, not people. Puppets. Skull Kid's puppets dropped down, looking limp and creepy as ever. Three lined up behind the Twili Risen, and three in front of them. The one behind took the knife right out of the hands of the Twili Risen. The puppet in front removed Colin from the grip. Finally, all six of the puppets grabbed the Twili Risen by their arms, and hoisted them into the air. Then they ascended into the trees carrying them away. Their screams faded under the sound of rustling leaves.

"That was, uh, interesting, to say the least," said Ren.

"When'd you learn how to do that?" the shade asked Skull Kid.

"A long time ago, when I found this horn here," he answered. "It's just always been able to do that."

"Dad!" shouted Colin, as he sprinted into Rusl's arms.

"Colin! Oh, we've been looking for you for so long. Is everyone alright?" asked Rusl.

"No, everyone's been sick. Those men did something to them," said Colin.

"What about you?!"

"I'm fine. They didn't do it to me, but we have to help everyone else!"

They went to the rest of the villagers. They looked, and some let out a feint breath which spoke "Link? Rusl?" Rusl felt his wife's forehead. She was burning up. They all had fevers, on top of their sickly dark complexions.

"What did they do to them?" asked the shade.

"They took some rock and cut them with it," said Colin.

"Do they still have the rock?" asked Ren.

"Yeah, that one there has it." Colin pointed at one of them. "That one was the leader."

Ren went to the leader's corpse, and lifted up his cloak. In his side belt lied a narrow black rock, shaped like a spiral. He lifted it out, and he knew for sure what it was.

"It's a Twilight shard," he said. "It can run twilight energy through a living thing. I guess for Link, it turns him into a wolf. But for a regular person, it does that."

"Can you get it out?" asked the shade.

"I can try. But I'm not sure what it will do to me. All that twilight in my body," he answered.

"What do you think, Link?" asked Rusl.

"..." (Link). Link said that there is no other option, but Ren should decide if he wants to do it or not.

"Well, here goes nothing," he said.

They were surprised by his nonchalant boldness, watching him walk to Uli. He took her arm, and found the cut on her upper arm. He pressed his hand against it, and focused on siphoning the twilight out. Slowly, her dark complexion turned brighter, as it went away into Ren. Finally, her face was clear. Rusl could make out his wife's face. He went and kneeled down to her.

"It worked," Rusl said. "Uli, are you alright?"

"I think so," she quietly responded.

"...?" Link asked Ren if he was fine.

"I, uh, think I'm fine," he said. "I think I'll be able to do the rest of them."

...

Ren went to Talo, to continue healing the villagers of their Twilight sickness. As they rejoiced in reunion, the shade and Skull Kid pulled Link aside.

"What I mentioned before, about the chasm between worlds growing smaller. I'd hope that you aren't the one causing that," said the shade.

"..." (Link). He did not know how to respond.

"I can see glimpses of your life from beyond. Your companions from the other world. Their passing between Hyrule and their world is causing that disturbance between realms," the shade explained. "If something too large happens, and closes the gap, the results could be, cataclysmic."

"...?" Link asked how him how he was able to figure all of that out.

"The chains that restrained me while I was alive are no longer locked. And after 800 years, you can learn a lot about the world beyond," he answered. "How do you want this schism to end?"

"...?" Link asked what he was supposed to do.

"Know that you are dealing with events that we won't be able to stop. I've seen a world end too many times," he answered. After a pause, he said "I can ensure that the villagers of Ordon will be safe under my protection, but it is up to you to decide how you want to save Hyrule."

* * *

 **South of Ylisstol, Morning**

Everyone was gathered. One big militia, ready to rush into battle and clash with the enemy. Robin and Frederick took a full list of the militia soldiers that were part of the Shepherd army, and not the Ylissean army. The full list read: Chrom, Robin, Frederick, Sumia, Lucina, Flavia, Basilio, Say'ri, Morgan, Cordelia, Gaius, Vaike, Lon'qu, Gregor, Sully, Gerome, Cherche, Stahl, Miriel, Kellam, Panne, Libra, Tharja, Henry, Kjelle, and Yen'fay. Then there were thirty soldiers from Ylissean army, and the twenty eight elite guards of Regna Ferox. Overall, it totaled to eighty-six soldiers. Though realistically, their might was that of hundreds of soldiers.

They conversed to pass the last minutes they had in Ylisse, waiting for the call for departure. Chrom stood in front of the conglomerate of soldiers, and called out for attention.

"For most of you, you're venturing to battle in unknown territory. For a few of you, this isn't the case. But regardless, we are marching into a battle. Hopefully, we're coming back in one piece. None of you have to die. Though your fears may say otherwise, remember: When we were powerless against the Fell Dragon, we prevailed, and through a small sliver of hope, we defeated him. What's different this time is that we are more than capable of beating the foes that wait against us," Chrom said. "And it is now, we cross into the world of Hyrule and begin what we came to do."

"Form up!" shouted Frederick.

The soldiers formed into small battalions, organized in square formations. At each was a commanding officer. Three of them in front were Lon'qu, Basilio, and Gaius. And behind were Flavia, Cordelia, Sully, and Lucina leading other battalions.

Chrom held the sword with both of his hands and focused on the power of the sword to cut through worlds. The blade started to shine, and he turned it upside down, and thrust it into the ground. The glowing light rain through the ground like veins in the body, encompassing the entire militia within it's grasp. And soon, they faded away, passing through the barrier between Hyrule and Ylisse.

* * *

 **Kakariko Village**

Link sat in front of the spring that was next to the sanctuary. Surely enough, the villagers were safe in Ordon, and being protected by the Hero's Shade, or rather, the Hero of Time. They parted ways, as well as Rusl, who decided to stay in Ordon. Link and Ren warped back to Kakariko Village, where they reunited with the rest of the Resistance. The residents of Ordon were free, safe, and the Twili Risen outside of Castle Town were presumably diminished. But what more could they do? If they left Hyrule as is, then the Twili Risen forces are trapped in Castle Town, but the residents of Castle Town are trapped under the rule of the Twili Risen. If the Resistance decided to sneak in, it would surely be a suicide mission. Except this time, they aren't gonna get their own ghost shade.

A crack of thunder rang in the distance, and the skies let out. The rain drizzled down with the calm and constant trickling sound. Then another crack of thunder. Then another, and another. They happened continuously. Link looked back, and trying to see where the lightning was coming from. Far in the distance, to the northwest, he could see lightning striking down where Castle Town would be.

He didn't think, nor hesitate. He mounted on to Epona, and road off north. Once he passed the gates, he crossed the large spanning Hyrule Field, and crossed the Eldin Bridge. From there, he kept going north, and northwest until he reached one of the entrances to Castle Town. He dismounted, and walked closer to the wall. He ordered Epona to go back to Kakariko Village, and she ran off behind. Link crept against the wall, in the broad daylight. He was under the blind spots of the Twili Risen archers above. He got closer to the entrance, which had the talisman that Ren put. Except, it wasn't pasted on the wall. It was lying on the ground, and the ink had been washed off from the rain. That meant that Twili Risen could leave from that exit.

Link crept away, but it was not subtle enough. He was spotted by an archer.

"Hey, you there!" he shouted, with an arrow drawn back on his bow.

Link froze, but he realized what could happen. If he fled, and they attempted to follow him, they'd realize that the spell on that entrance wasn't working anymore, and they'd be free to attack the rest of Hyrule. If he stayed, he would get captured. Without a thought, he put his hands up, and walked through the entrance. When he walked through, he was faced with a dozen Twili Risen, waiting to carve him up. But they captured him, and took him back into the streets.

* * *

 **South of Castle Town**

"I think they know we're here," said Midna.

"But I don't see any of them on the wall," said Gregor. "Where are they?"

"Stay weary," Chrom said. "Everyone, form up into your battalions. And be ready for the signal."

They shuffled off into their groups. Lon'qu, Basilio, and Gaius readied their archers, but they noticed one flaw in the plan: there was no way to quickly get to the western or eastern wall. They were isolated to one entrance. From there, they had to improvise.

"Basilio, have all of the archers ready, including Lon'qu's and Gaius' archers. Lon'qu, Gaius, and Gregor. Start your scouting on the wall. Make sure it's clear. Then set a rope down for the archers. Once that's done, give us the signal, and we'll charge in," explained Robin.

"Affirmative," said Lon'qu. "You heard him. Let's move."

The three of them went up to the southern wall, with a rope carried by each. They dashed a few steps up the wall, then leaped to the side structure, and then launched themselves back up to the exterior molding of the wall. There, they lifted themselves on to the wall's catwalk.

"I still don't know how they're able to do that," said Robin.

Gaius crouched and hid against the interior wall of the catwalk, as did Gregor and Lon'qu. They crept against the wall, and Gaius and Gregor each reached a corner. They peeked behind, to see another empty wall catwalk. The lanterns were hung, but no one was home. Although, from Lon'qu's perspective, the enemy was focused on something else in the middle of town. All three regrouped, and set the ropes down for the other archers. Basilio climbed up, and Lon'qu told him to wait quietly with the other archers, and to not fire.

Lon'qu, Gaius, and Gregor vaulted over the interior wall, and on to the rooftops of the buildings. The triangle rooftops, and the extended upward molding made stealth easier. The rain also masked their footsteps, hopefully ensuring that they were not seen or heard. The Twili Risen that were occasionally seen in alleyways below were oblivious to the quiet infiltration by the three of them. The came closer to the town square, where all of the Twili Risen were amassed. From the closest spot they could get to without being seen, the looked in the center, in front of the fountain, seeing one lone figure. A particularly green figure: Link. He was holding a sword, and at his feet lay three dead Twili Risen.

They continued to survey the area. The one thing they did not see were the citizens of Castle Town. Not one. They looked down on to the streets, and they remained empty as they searched. Unknowing of what to do, they jumped back to the south, residing on the rooftop of Telma's Bar.

"Great. No civilians," said Gaius. "Where would they be?"

"Locked up in the dungeon, probably," said Lon'qu.

"Well, there is another possible place," said Gregor. "Look, that Twili Risen down there."

Below them, a Twili Risen leaned back against the wall, holding a sword in his right hand, and a bottle in the other. He did not notice the three of them above, partially due to his slightly intoxicated state.

"On three, jump down and restrain him in the alley, and we'll see if he knows anything," Gregor whispered. "One... two... three."

They jumped down on to the ground below, in front of the Twili Risen. Gaius disarmed him and restrained his right arm, while Gregor restrained the other hand. They moved him back further into the alley, down the stairs, on to the square area in front of Telma's Bar. Lon'qu took his sword and pressed it against the Twili Risen's neck, and took his other hand and covered it's mouth.

"Scream, and I'll gut you like a fish," said Lon'qu. "The people of Castle Town. Where are they?"

"I... don't know what... you're talking about," he responded.

"I will cut your head off and put it on a spear for decoration," uttered Lon'qu.

"Where, where do you think they are?" he replied. "They're here... in their homes."

"Huh?" said Lon'qu.

"They're in their houses. And shops, and..." he said, trying to pull his neck away from the sword.

"Thank you for cooperating," said Lon'qu.

Lon'qu delivered a stern punch that knocked the Twili Risen out in one blow. They looked around for a place to store his body, and decided on opening a wooden crate by them and stuffing his body in there. Hopefully, no one would discover him there. Then they stacked the other crates on top of each other, and placed them against the wall so they could climb up on to the rooftop. There, they had to alert the rest of the militia that civilians were inside the buildings.

"Gaius, quickly get over the southern wall and tell them that the citizens are inside the houses," Lon'qu ordered. "Gregor, come back over the town square with me. We'll keep an eye on Link."

"Alright, you can count on me," said Gaius.

"Just go," responded Lon'qu.

Gaius dashed back over the rooftops, all the way to the southern wall. Lon'qu and Gregor stealthily hopped back the roof they were on before at the town square. The peered over the edge to see Link. He was on his knees, and it looked like someone in dark robes and cloaks was standing with a sword near him. He was saying something, but it was inaudible from the roof.

"Does not look good," Gregor said.

"Yeah, we have to get that flare up," said Lon'qu. "And give Link some time."

"I have an idea."

"What?"

"Ready your bow and an arrow. When you fire, I'll throw the signal out. But you must be quick, and not get seen."

"That won't be a problem."

"Alright, I'll move further back. Be ready to run after you fire."

Gregor hopped back a few rooftops, and pulled out the flare. Not really a flare, but a pouch that was filled tight with various liquids. There was one that made its color forest green, which alerted the militia that they have the go ahead to charge in. Gregor had to puncture the pouch to make it leak green smoke. It would leak enough to make a large cloud visible enough to the outside of the town. Then he had to toss it high into the air. Easy enough.

Lon'qu pulled an arrow from his quiver, and readied it to his bow. He pulled the drawstring, and peeked above the roof. His hood would cover his head, making him less visible, especially in the rain under dark clouds. He looked down at them, and moved back. He lifted his bow up, and aimed at the man with a sword against Link. Lon'qu aimed the bow up higher, and to the left, since the winds were blowing to the east. Gravity and the wind would lead the arrow to the man in the robe.

Gregor waited, with his knife and the flare ready. He looked at Lon'qu, awaiting his signal. Lon'qu adjusted his aim, and finally focused on the man. Just a stray arrow could bring about change and revolt.

Finally, he let go.

* * *

 _..._

 _-Kaz_


	14. Chapter 14: A Stray Arrow and an Army

**Chapter 14: A Stray Arrow and an Army**

 **Castle Town**

The Twili Risen took Link to the center, while being heckled and taunted by the hordes of Twili Risen in the streets. He looked around for the citizens of Castle Town. He caught one person looking out through a window from the second floor of their house. They immediately shut the window and walked away when they made eye contact. Once they reached town square, they made him wait. The group that took him in formed a circle around him, which kept him trapped in a sea of Twili Risen. Then they all looked north, and saw Lord Grateau walking out. At his side, was Stervan, his replacement for Ren'kir. He parted the crowd, until he reached the circle around Link. Link looked at them with resent. Grateau took the sword of one of the Twili Risen, and raised it as if he was going to execute Link on the spot. But he merely struck it into the ground in front of Link. Then he unsheathed his sword, from the scabbard that was hidden under his long robe. The blade was long and slim, and completely black. The hilt and the handle were a polished silver. The bottom of the handle had a rectangular gemstone, with a scarlet color.

"Do you know the origin of this blade?" he asked.

"..." (Link). He didn't.

"This blade existed long before you, and before this kingdom. Millennia ago, there was a war between the light spirits and a tribe knowledgeable in dark magic. You call them the Interlopers," Grateau said. "And soon after, the Interlopers were banished, and their descendants became the Twili people."

Link knew the story well, as heard from the Light spirits.

"But were did they truly survive? Did they live on through the Twili people? All of the originals are long gone, except for one," said Grateau. "I am the last Interloper, and I live to carry on the name, with this sword: The Twilight Sword."

"But, being trapped in the Twilight Realm is no advantage. Part of us were locked in an area where time does not flow, hence being able to survive for so long. And then, they just forgot about us. We were left abandoned," Grateau explained. "Until Zant uncovered our catacomb. We followed him, but he left us to rot once he no longer found us useful. But he left something inside me: a piece of his mind. In a way, he lives on through me. He talked of a formidable foe, in which he died by the sword of, named Link. Kill him immediately, he said. But executing him would play too much like Zant. I need a duel."

Grateau turned to look at Link and said "Here I have you, and I give you one opportunity: Show me your strength through this battle."

Link stood up, and hesitantly grabbed the sword from the ground. The both held their swords in front of their faces, and awaited for the other to make the first swing. Link made a vertical swing, from the top down. Grateau blocked it, and pushed Link's sword down, and cast out a dark wave from his hand that knocked Link back. He got back up, and the two clashed again, and again, with no clear winner, locking them in a stalemate. The stood with a short distance between each other, holding their swords like canes. Grateau stepped back, and two Twili Risen stepped forward, taking his place. Their incessant attempt to execute Link ended drastically for them, as Link sliced through them with one swing. Lord Grateau came back out, and swung so hard that his sword cut through the metal of Link's blade. He got close to Link, and kicked him down to make Link kneel. Grateau held the sword up to Link's head.

"The Interloper Race shall live on through us, and through your demise," he said.

The last seconds felt like a lifetime, with the blade pressed against him. Any moment now, Grateau was going to raise it and cut off his head, Link thought. He locked eyes with Grateau. The stare was filled with a look of courage, and the feeling of "Go ahead. Do it. You don't intimidate me."

But alas, their deep stare was interrupted when something entered their field of sight. A stray arrow was shot, and it shot right the Grateau's arm. He pulled his arm away, and curled back, screaming at the top of his lungs. All eyes, including Link's, scoured the area to find the source of the shot. Eventually, after what felt like hours, they all focused on the southern street corner, and a hooded figure on top of a roof that certainly wasn't Twili Risen.

* * *

The arrow flew straight at first. Direct shot through the heart. But the wind changed directions. The slight change veered the arrow to the right. Lon'qu watched it slowly shift trajectory, until , _slit._ The arrow shot itself nicely through the man's forearm. He screamed at the top of his lungs, disturbing and scaring away all of the birds in Castle Town. All eyes darted towards Lon'qu, and were immediately followed by screams.

Gregor immediately followed the shot by tossing the cut flare into the air. The substance emitted green smoke everywhere , in large spherical clouds. He looked back at Lon'qu, who dashed on to the roof.

"Run!" he yelled.

The two of them sprinted across the roofs as the Twili Risen chased from the streets. They outran the Twili Risen, and made it over, on to the southern wall catwalk. Basilio and the archers awaited, ready with arrows in their bows. The two of them crouched down, and Basilio stood up. The archers knell, with their upper torsos and arms up.

"Ready!" Basilio yelled.

The archers aimed and drew back their bows.

"Fire!"

They fired their arrows into the horde of Twili Risen. All of the arrows hit something, as a dozen Twili Risen collapsed into the street. The Twili Risen stopped, and ran back towards the town square. As they poured back into town square, the large wooden doors cut off a few dozen Twili Risen, locking them in the southern street. They turned around, seeing an army charging at them from the southern entrance, under the archers. They readied their swords and axes, and waited for death to come over.

* * *

 _Earlier..._

The army waited, holding a battle stance in front of the southern entrance.

Gaius dashed down the wall and to Chrom. His battalion of soldiers was in center, and to the left was Robin's, and to the right was the battalion that would escort the citizens out of Hyrule, led by Zelda and Midna.

"Gaius? What is it?" Chrom asked.

"Milord, all of the Twili Risen are in the town square. They've got Link there. They were about to execute him," Gaius answered.

"What?!" Chrom exclaimed.

"Hey, calm down there Blue, Gregor and Lon'qu are in the process of stopping that. The citizens are also hiding in their homes, so you ladies probably need to get them out of their houses before you rescue 'em," Gaius said. "Till we meet again, m'ladies." He dashed back up the wall, to Basilio's archers.

"Is he always like that? asked Midna.

"Yeah. When he's not trying to steal candy," answered Chrom.

* * *

"Chrom, look up!" Zelda shouted.

Green smoke, as visible as can be. Chrom looked up and instantly processed the command that he would shout.

"Charge!" he shouted.

In an instant, the entire militia bolted forward, and piled through the gates. Chrom looked ahead, and saw them ready with swords and axes. They held their ground, firmly blocking the closed gate to the town square. The militia clashed with the Twili Risen, with the collision of swords echoing throughout the Town. Chrom was confronted by three of them. He jumped, and swung his sword at the center one, and jumped back as the other two tried to hit him. Chrom made a wide slice that got both of them.

The fliers rode above, with Sumia, Cherche, Cordelia, and Gerome. They circled above the town square, where they saw the mass of Twili Risen in a conglomerate. In the mass, they saw Link, trapped in an enclosed mass.

"There's Link!" shouted Gerome.

"How do we get him out of there?" shouted Sumia. "We'll get torn apart if we try to go there."

They kept circling around, as the Twili Risen held their ground with their eyes locked on the fliers.

"I have an idea," shouted Gerome. He broke the circling formation and flew back down to the southern street. He looked for a robed figure with pale hair. He found Robin, in the midst of using arcfire on three Twili Risen. Gerome shouted out Robin's name, and he looked up to him. Gerome landed Minerva down on the street, and dismounted.

"Do you have any magic that can teleport another person?" Gerome asked.

"Yeah, I have this rescue tome here," Robin answered.

"Okay, good. Come with me on to Minerva," said Gerome. He mounted on to Minerva, and Robin mounted after. Minerva lifted off, and Gerome entered in to the circling group of fliers above the town square. "Look, down there! They've got Link!"

Robin pulled his rescue tome out, and held it tightly in his left arm. He then said "Land on that one of these roofs!"

Gerome landed Minerva on a roof on the southeastern side, adjacent to the town square. Robin got off and stood close to the ledge. He held the tome, and focused his right hand on Link. He twisted and jerked his hand towards himself, and a magic circle formed around Link. It warped him right next to Robin and Gerome. Link landed, a bit off balance and confused. He saw Robin and Gerome, with a quick proceeding thought of relief.

"Link, it's good to see you. Even though it's only been about a week," said Gerome.

"..." (Link). Link said likewise, and that he wasn't expecting to see them during a battle. "...?" He took note of all of the soldiers waiting in the southern street, piling in like water through a broken dam.

"That's our army. Speaking of, we should get you down there. Can you still fight?" asked Robin.

Link nodded yes. They jumped down from the roof, and met up with Chrom and Flavia.

"Link!" Chrom shouted. "We're glad you're alive. Wait, where's Ren?"

"..." (Link). He told Chrom that Ren was safe with other people in Kakariko Village.

"Oh, I guess that's good," he responded. "Hey, you might need this." Chrom brushed away his cape, and on his left side was the sheathed Master Sword. It still retained its shine, and its ornate design. Chrom lifted it out and handed it to Link.

"...?" (Link). He asked about Zelda and Midna.

"They're evacuating the citizens. Which means that we have keep the Twili Risen busy until they're out," said Chrom.

"It we can bust open this door," said Robin. "Any other ways in?"

"They've closed off the doors that lead to the town square on each street. Can't get in unless you fly," answered Gerome.

"We didn't exactly get in here quietly, and without a doubt, they're getting the Twili Bulbin out from wherever. We've got to think fast," said Robin.

"..."(Link). Link said it would be fairly easy for Midna to break through it.

"Right! That can work! Now we just need to find her," said Robin. "She's somewhere with Zelda, probably at the gate."

Link nodded, and dashed away. He maneuvered through the southern street, and quickly peeked down the side streets. He saw guards entering and exiting buildings, sometimes rushing out with residents. As he went further, he saw more citizens rushing out of the southern gate. He got out and crossed the wooden bridge, and reached the southern field. The he stopped at the first set of stairs, and looked among the crowds of citizens and soldiers. He was about to run down the stairs, when he crossed paths with Sheik and Midna.

"Link!" Midna shouted. "You're okay!"

"..."(Link). Link said he was fine, and told Midna that they needed her to breach through the gates to the town square.

"Sounds like something I can do," she responded.

"Hurry back. We still need to get these citizens somewhere safe," said Sheik.

"..." (Link). Link suggested taking them into Faron Woods for the time being.

"If there aren't any Twili Risen, then I'll lead them there," said Sheik. "Go, and hurry."

Midna and Link sprinted back to the southern street and the entrance to the town square. They were greeted by Chrom and Robin.

"So I need to bust open these doors?" Midna said.

"Precisely," said Robin.

"Step aside," Midna replied. She took a solid stance in front of the doors, and everyone backed away. Her hands and fingers curled as if they were gripping something. A black fog essence emanated from her hands and forearms, and two large outlines of black fists appeared around her hands. The black color steadily grew more solid, until it was almost opaque. She pulled her right arm back, and pushed forward with her foot, clawing the fingers of the black fist into the door. Then she repeated with her left arm. She pulled them out, and stepped back. Everyone stepped forwards, in battle formation. The got closer to the door, but kept a few meters between them. The door slowly started to turn a decaying black, outwards from the middle. The whole door turned black, and then it just crumpled to dust. The dust of the door blew off and onto the ground, and they made their entrance into the battle that would ensue.

* * *

They didn't move, even as the doors turned into dust. They just held their battle stance, and Lord Grateau stood, holding his sword with both hands, and with it pointing down on to the ground. They all stood to a halt, with half a dozen meters between them. At the front lines were Chrom, Link, Frederick, Robin, Lucina, Basilio, Flavia, and Midna.

"Your army is formidable," said Grateau. He looked to the right, and said "Midna, the ruler of the Twilight Realm. I was hoping you'd keep your hands out of this."

"Nothing like this will pass me by. Especially from the last Interloper in existence," said Midna.

"So you know of my origin?" said Grateau.

"Yes. And I know very well that you were rotting in a prison cell," she shouted.

"I'd hardly call it rotting. But I have an army of my own. And I will restore the Interloper race, even if it means ending our descendants."

"That is your true goal? Restore the ancient tribe that today, only exists in you?"

"Do you not see why I came here? Life is life. And it can be changed very quickly. In an instant, it is gone, and in an instant, it is created. And through quick poke, and insertion, light will turn into twilight, and through my remaining life, there is new interloper blood." He lifted his arm off of the sword, and into the air. "We are all Interlopers."

The phrase was instantly followed by the loud battle cries of the Twili Risen, or what they were made to be: Interlopers. Thunder cracked behind their screams. The Ylisse-Hyrulean force shouted back with their own shouts of battle, and they charged forward into the town square. And, another sound of thunder pulsed through the town. They met, and they mixed together, in a combining conglomerate of clashing weapons. Chrom jumped, and slashed three in his slice. Robin used his arcwind and blew more of them into the air. In midair, the fliers caught them with the sharp tips of their lances or axes.

Link ran and cut his way to Grateau. Grateau was all too eager to best Link in a rematch.

"I was wondering where that sword was," said Grateau.

Link readied the sword, and swung at Grateau, who then blocked the Master Sword with the Twilght Sword. Link briefly caught a glimpse of the sword's true finesse. The stained black blade, polished, and all signs of scratches were absent. And, as any other Twilight weapon, it radiated a black smoke from every inch of the blade. Grateau pulled away, and swung from left to right. Link parried it, and quickly swung back, creating a slice in the robes and skin on Grateau's chest. He winced away, and parried Link as he tried to hit again.

The archers mounted on to the roofs surrounding the Town Square, and took aim at the numerous interlopers.

"This is like fishing in a barrel!" said one of the archers. But the moment after, a small arrow swiftly shot through the archer's shoulder. He screamed and leaned back on the floor.

"Look, over to the north!" shouted the other archer next to him. A row of archers had lined up on the wide stone buildings on the north side of the town square. All of the Ylisse-Feroxi archers hid against the walls on the roofs as cover. In the group of cowering archers, Basilio stood up and jumped down from the roof, on to the street. He put his bow away and hoisted out his silver ax. He weaved through the town square, hitting any interloper that stood in his way. He looked up, and then to the side, finding Robin.

"Robin!" he shouted. "Use your wind to get me up to that rooftop!"

Robin quickly shifted to Basilio, and channeled his arc wind to boost Basilio up to the roof. The current even pushed a few interlopers off balance, but it also caught Gregor in its gust. Gregor just happened to be standing close enough to Basilio. Both of them landed on the rooftop of interloper archers. Gregor lied flat on his back, and he slowly stood back up. He saw Basilio to his left, and a bunch of archers, with arrows pointed at them.

An arrow was shot from the side at Basilio's chest. It hit, and it bounced off of his heavy metal chest plate. Basilio gripped his silver ax with both hands, and said "Hell no!" He jumped into the group, slamming his ax on the first interloper in front of him. Then he swung his ax around him, getting two more of them. He turned behind him, and hurled his arms to kill the interloper behind him. The other interloper archers quickly backed up, and tried to aim at Basilio. But Gregor jumped in their line of sight, and dispelled them with his sword.

"Not today!" he yelled as he swung his sword.

Basilio and Gregor fought back to back, eliminating the rest of the archers.

"Death is overrated," said Basilio. "You haven't lost your touch."

"As a small sellsword. But an assassin has none of those bounds," Gregor responded.

Gregor took one of the archer's bows and an arrow, and aimed down at the street. He shot it at an unsuspecting interloper. The interloper dropped like a fly.

"Heh, that wasn't something you could do when we last fought," said Basilio.

"'Twas a long time ago. But I think I've found my passion, being a sellsword," replied Gregor.

"I may need to hire you when this is over!" exclaimed Basilio.

He jumped down, swing his ax in the head of the Twili Risen he landed on. Gregor followed, going to assist Basilio.

* * *

 _Hyrule Field_

Ren'kir stood in the middle of the field, looking into the distance. The raining skies brought a dreary mood upon him and the Gorons. Oh right, the Gorons. He managed to convince Darbus and Cor to bring themselves and as many Gorons as they could with them. Ren knew very well that the lightning strike, and Epona returning alone meant that Link had gone to Castle Town.

"Now, you guys need to stick together, and if we encounter the Twili Risen, we hold our ground, and then escape. We have to find Link," said Ren.

"What about this large Twili beast you speak of?" asked Darbus, with his stern, deep voice.

"The Twili Bulbin? Yeah, it may appear, but I think you're more than capable of defeating it, Darbus," Ren responded.

Darbus had experience with Bublins before. Bulbin leaders were always annoying, with their large hammers and axes. But it in this case, he had a particular trick up sleeve. One that would certainly decimate any oppostion.

* * *

 _Town Square_

Link parried another swing from Grateau. Then they both swung, and were locked into a temporary stalemate.

"...!?" Link interrogated him about the Mirror of Twilight.

"Fixed the Mirror of Twilight? I never did such a thing," he replied. He pulled his sword away, as both he and Link back-dashed.

"...!" Link pressed on, swinging from the top down. Grateau parried it again. How could Grateau have gotten to the light world if the mirror was gone.

"You can't destroy the mirror! Shatter it all you want, but it will always come back! It will always reform!" he shouted. He swung at Link, and they got locked in again. "You can't sever the connection between the light world and the shadow world. One cannot exist without the other!"

Grateau was a bit off balance, and Link took this brief opportunity, and swung his sword across Grateau's chest. Grateau grunted and screamed, and Link hit him again. The sword slices leaked a black vapor, and Grateau fell on his knees and hands. Link raised his sword, and prepared to thrust it down. But Grateau briefly looked up, and they locked eyes. A quick apparition of Zant's face flashed on Grateau's head. Then another apparition flashed, of Zant's helmet. Link froze, still holding his sword in the air. Grateau swiftly warped away, towards the first castle gate, clenching his chest with his left arm. Grateau shuffled through the doors, and any remaining interlopers followed in a hive-mind like fashion. The Ylisse-Feroxi forces followed the small hordes of interlopers that were still alive. Link sprinted through the crowd of soldiers and the few interlopers that were still alive. He came to a halt in front of the doors, in which both were sealed shut.

"..."(Link) He cursed under his breath. But he wasn't able to catch a break. Loud, heavy, overpowering footsteps marched towards the door from the other side. Link lifted his head up, and focused on the footsteps. Only one thing would be that loud and empowering.

"...!" (Link). He shouted for everyone to flee from the door. Everyone darted back. Link was behind, and he took one look at the doors. Not even a second, and a large, dark fist burst through the doors. They burst wide open, and the force even ejected Link back into the air. Gerome swept in and caught Link, and then lowered him to the ground. As everyone began to cower back, the Twili Bulbin heralded its own entrance. It raised its large hammer, and slammed it on to the ground. Cracks formed, and the impact shot a gust of wind all around. It screamed its beastly roar, like Ganon in his beast form.

"HEEEEAAAAAAHHH!" it screamed.

Wide strips of dark maroon flags hung down from its waistline, and an endo-skeleton of iron armor surrounded its upper body. Its head looked as troll-like as any bulbin leader, but the sickly green color was replaced with a sickly grey. The grey skin tone outlined his piercing red eyes, with poked through the courage of the soldiers.

"Any ideas Robin? Link?" Chrom asked.

"Uh, destroy the armor, I guess," Robin nervously answered.

"...?"(Link). Link said that Chrom should use his sword to cut through the armor.

"That would work, if we could get close to the thing without being squashed," said Chrom.

The beast came closer to them, and raised its hammer. All of the soldiers fled from its vicinity, cowering into the western, eastern, and southern streets. The archers shot their arrows from the southern street rooftops, but the arrows fell from the air like raindrops. The actual raindrops from the storm were then masked briefly by the short burst of thunder and the lightning. It smashed its hammer down on the center of the fountain, splashing the water into the air, and destroying the centerpiece of the fountain. Rubble and debris floated in the base, and the barrier rim was cracked on the north side. The water poured out from the broken region, only leaving the debris.

Basilio told all of the archers to stop firing.

"Don't waste your arrows!" he shouted. "Dammit, we're gonna end up as cannon fodder for this thing."

"Dammit, if only Ren were here. He'd probably know how to deal with this," said Robin.

Robin whipped out his bolganonne tome and shot at the bulbin leader with it. The fireball erupted very closely to it. It halted for a few seconds, and then lifted itself back up, but this time, it was enraged.

"Dammit, that just made it angrier," he said in response.

The bulbin leader roared in disgust and anger, and his shout was garbled with mucus and saliva. It halted again, just standing in front of the destroyed fountain. It unknowingly turned its head to the west, as if it was an automatic response to the sound that it heard. A rumbling sound resonated through the ground, like a stampede. Link, Robin, and Chrom looked to the west. And that was exactly what they saw. A stampede, of Gorons, and Ren. Just in the nick of time.

"There it is! The Twili Bulbin!" shouted Ren, pointing his sword out at the Bulbin leader.

"Charge! Retake the town!" shouted Darbus.

The Goron forces stampeded through the streets, with soldiers ducking off to the side. They reached the town square, and Darbus stopped in front of the Bulbin leader. Ren stops in front of Link, Chrom, and Robin, with a confused look on his face. He certainly wasn't expecting to see dozens of soldiers, in a town that was supposed to be under Twili Risen control.

"Link, Chrom, Robin?" he questioned. "How did you-, no when did you-, actually, just, how?! Link, you stormed off on Epona, and she came back alone."

"...?"(Link). He said he got captured. And then almost executed.

"But our army managed to prevent that, and we've captured most of Castle Town back. All that's left is the castle," said Robin.

"Right. Now exactly isn't the best time for this," Chrom said. "Look!"

Darbus had his right arm raised, as did the Bulbin leader. The thrusted the fists, and they collided, as both of the grunted and shouted. Darbus jabbed the Bulbin leader's face, sending it stumbling back against the pillar structures. In response it raised its hammer, and swung at Darbus. It hit Darbus' right bicep, and he fell back to his left. The Bulbin raised its hammer in the air again, preparing to strike down on Darbus. But the quick rolling of Gorons intervened. They rolled directly into the Bulbin's feet and legs, knocking it off balance. It fell backwards again, giving Darbus time to get back up. Once he did, went and punched the Bulbin against the stone building, crumbling the surrounding parts of it. The Bulbin left hooked Darbus, and pushed him back. Then, it raised its hammer and swung from the top-down. Darbus whipped his forearm to block the hammer by its handle. He grabbed part of long handle, and used his other hand to jab the Bulbin more. He punched it enough, and disarmed the hammer from its grip. He hurled the hammer to the Bulbin's left side, and then again to the its right side. Finally, Darbus threw the hammer on to the ground, and threw an uppercut directly at the Twili Bulbin Leader. It staggered backwards, and collapsed entirely on to what used to be that fountain, decimating any debris into smaller pebbles beneath it.

Darbus raised its arms in the air in victory, shouting as he did so. The Gorons followed with their own shouts, and the human soldiers observed awkwardly as the Gorons marched to the Twili Bulbin's body.

The rain dripped down its corpse, and the Ylisse-Feroxi-Goron forces stood silently, gazing at the Bulbin. It faded to black, like all of the other Twili foes that Link faced. And, as with Twili Beasts, it shattered into black squares, which then shot up above the center of Town Square. A new Twilight Portal formed high above, resembling the same black and light green ones that Link used. As soon as the portal formed, the heavy rain stopped. They grey clouds cleared, as rays of the sun penetrated through the fleeting clouds. It felt as if the battle was over, but they knew...

"The battle isn't over yet. We still have a score to settle with Grateau," said Chrom.

"That just leaves one place," said Robin.

The Castle. He awaits in the castle.

* * *

 _Longest chapter in the story, with it being the giant battle. I have the rest of it planned out, and will write and publish them ASAP._

 _-Kaz_


	15. Chapter 15: Castles Across Three Worlds

**Chapter 15: Castles Across Three Worlds**

 **Hyrule Castle, Front Yard**

The party organized back into a mob, and pushed forward into the castle. They encountered the interior castle gates, which Darbus punched through and ripped apart. He chucked the ripped pieces of wood off, and threw them at the Interlopers that waited behind the gates. He crushed a few of them with the wood splints. The soldiers poured in around Darbus, clashing swords and axes with the Interlopers. The soldiers mowed them down, and moved down into the castle. But they didn't have to wait for Darbus to open the castle doors. Three lightly iron-armor clad soldiers launched through the doors, holding two handed katanas, but not the arming swords that they usually wielded. Their armor was constructed in rows of rectangular curved plates, which wrapped around the bodies of the Interlopers. They overlapped, with the top of one plate being covered by the other above it, but the tops also leaning in. Their legs had minimal protection, only being concealed by a layer of typical leg-wear. Their exterior of their forearms was covered by a long gauntlet, conforming to the shape of the arm. Lastly, their faces from the bottom of the nose down was wrapped with a cloth, only exposing their red eyes.

Say'ri and Yen'fay, who were in the front of the soldiers, stepped forward. Yen'fay wielded a forged killing edge, while Say'ri wielded Amatsu, the blade of the dead Yen'fay from her timeline. They halted to standstill, with two versus three. But Lon'qu stepped forward and joined them, using another forged killing edge. Yen'fay and Lon'qu jumped in the air, and two of the Twili Risen jumped. They clashed swords mid-air, and jumped back after one strike. The other Twili Risen swung at Say'ri, and she swiftly parried the hit. She spun back and swung at it, but it followed with an equally swift block with its sword. It pulled away and dashed back. Say'ri swung her sword down at it, with the tip grazing the chest of the Twili Risen.

The six swordsmen clashed swords, and the forces outside the castle watched and waited as one side would win. Yen'fay noticed and yelled "Go! Get into the castle! We'll hold them off!"

Chrom, Robin, Frederick, and Sully, who were in the front, charged forward into the castle, circumventing the battle. One swordsman looked to the side and saw Robin and Chrom. It fled from another swing from Yen'fay and jumped and accosted the two of them. It swung its sword at Chrom, and he barely managed to parry it with his reaction time. It pulled its sword back and thrusted again, but it stopped with the tip a few centimeters away from Chrom's chest. They watched as a sword shoved itself through the torso of the elite interloper at an upward angle. The interloper fell backwards, and Yen'fay caught his body mid-air. He pulled his killing edge out of the interloper and dropped the body on the ground. Yen'fay had stabbed his sword through by stabbing under the plates, and then through the chest. A fatal flaw, if the interlopers in this armor were to be taken by surprise.

"Er, thanks Yen'fay," said Robin.

Yen'fay gave a silent nod, and went to the other two elite interlopers fighting Lon'qu and Say'ri. Lon'qu parried a slice from the interloper, and they backed away from each other, putting distance between each other. The interloper bent his knees, held his sword by his side, and made a deep stare at Lon'qu. Lon'qu held his sword with the blade pointing out, holding the handle to the right to his face. But he lowered it a bit when he realized what the interloper was doing.

"By Naga! He knows the lethality technique!" he said.

The interloper made his lightning fast dash into Lon'qu, swinging his sword mid-way. Lon'qu side-stepped away, but it was not enough. The sword caught grasp of Lon'qu's upper right arm, slicing through like a cleaver through a loaf of bread. The excruciating pain radiated through his arm, and Lon'qu fell to the ground, dropping his sword, and clutching his right arm.

"AAAAAHhhhhHHH!" he yelled.

The interloper went to Lon'qu, now lying on the ground. He raised his sword, ready to finish the battle. Lon'qu looked down and away, and closed his eyes. He was a thrust away from death, but a spearhead thrusted itself through the upper chest of the interloper. The interloper was then pulled backwards, and dropped on the ground, with the spear still in him.

"Bastard," said a deep but female voice. "Man, where'd he get you?"

Lon'qu opened his eyes and saw Sully, crouching down to him in her red herring colored armor. He was leaning on his right side, and she rolled his body to the side to see the wound. She took his hand off of the wound, at which he grunted in pain.

"Damn, he cut you deep," she said. The slice looked like it could have cut his entire arm off. There wasn't a shortage of blood, and small puddles formed around him. And, a shortage of blood was causing him to lose consciousness. His eyes fluttered a bit, clear enough for Sully to see him barely awake.

"Dammit, stay with me. Hey, Cordelia! Get over here!" Sully shouted.

Cordelia landed her pegasus from the air, and dismounted by the two of them.

"Oh, that cut!" Cordelia said in shock.

"Can you heal him?" Sully asked.

"I can try. But something that severe-" Cordelia answered.

"Just try it!" Sully replied.

Cordelia used a mend staff on Lon'qu's arm. The blood stopped pouring out, and the skin around the wound sealed, but only with a transparent layer. The inside torn muscle was still faintly visible. The intense, piercing, stinging pain was subdued for now.

"Hey, Lon'qu, you still awake?" asked Sully.

"Barely," he whispered. "The pain's mostly gone. Thanks, Cordelia."

"No problem. Libra, all the cavalrymen, and I are rounding up the wounded, while the rest move into the Castle," said Cordelia. "I should get back to that."

She mounted on to her pegasus and flew back to the Town Square. Sully put her hand under Lon'qu and raised him to an upright position.

"Come on, let's get you to the town square," she said.

"What about that other Twili Risen swordsman?" he asked.

Sully looked and saw Say'ri standing atop the downed elite swordsman. His sword was pushed away and he Say'ri's heavy foot was standing on his neck. She held her sword down, and impaled the swordsman with Amatsu. She shoved the blade under the plate like Yen'fay. The Twili risen choked and gasped for air for a few seconds, then succumbing to his stab.

"Uh, yeah, Say'ri just got him," said Sully. "Let's get you out of here."

They stood up, and walked out the exit, down to town square.

* * *

 **Inside the Castle**

How much more could there be after the onslaught that they've already gone through? Only the onslaught that could be brought by Lord Grateau, the last Interloper.

Chrom, Link, Robin, and Ren tread through the castle, making their way to the throne room at the top. Every other soldier that wasn't on horseback, pegasus, or wyvern was in here, granted that they weren't with the wounded in the town square. The four of them made their approach, as other soldiers went to other parts of the castle. The interior was surprisingly empty. It looked as if it hadn't been touched. The paintings and the carpets were intact, as were the windows. Hopefully the armory was intact, as they reached it at the end of the hall, four floors up. Ren cut the chains of the lock down, removing the lock. They opened the doors to find a mostly ransacked armory. The interlopers/Twili Risen helped themselves to the Hylian weaponry. But over in the corner, there was a chest. Link opened it, to find his array of gadgets, tools, weapons, and his shield. He dropped his current shield and took back his assortment of weaponry, then equipping the Hylian shield to his right arm.

Link then stepped out of the armory, and took notice of the gaze that Robin was giving.

"...?" (Link).

"How do you carry all of that?" asked Robin.

Link shrugged and walked past the tall double doors. They followed him through, into the ascending flights of stairs. Rays of light didn't fit the backdrop of what they were about to face. When Link confronted Ganondorf, it was storming as he approached the throne room. Now he was facing the last Interloper, and rays of sunlight where poking through the diminishing clouds.

The four of them ascended the two flights of stairs, and went into the throne room. Sitting on the throne, he waited. His sword was across his lap, and his hood was on his head. The four of them stopped just a few paces inside the long room, where there were miles of distance between them and Grateau. He stepped down from the throne, drawing his sword in his right hand. He raised it, then held it parallel to the ground, with the tip in his left hand.

"It is now that all three of the blades are in unison. We are wielders of the bridges that connect three different worlds," Grateau said, as he walked towards the four of them. "The Master Sword, Falchion, and the long forgotten Twilight Sword."

"You're outnumbered! There's for of us and one of you, and Link sure was giving you a run for your rupees before!" shouted Ren.

"But I'm stronger than ever now," said Grateau.

"This is getting tiresome. Robin!" shouted Ren.

Ren and Robin simultaneously launched projectiles at Grateau. Robin launched an arcfire, and Ren threw poison darts. The fireball hit first, and produced a miniature explosion, and they darts hit moments after. A smoke clouded the area around Grateau, but he walked right out of the smoke, without a single scratch.

"No, that can't be," said Robin.

"My war is with you two: Link and Chrom!" shouted Grateau.

Grateau vaulted into the air, and swung his sword down on Link, who blocked it with his shield. Link pushed him away, and Chrom swung his sword vertically down on Grateau. The tip cut through, and black squares seeped out from the cut. He winced, and jerked his sword back up to block the sword swings from Link and Chrom. The two of them swung down, and their blades both clashed on to the Twilight Sword at the same time. Robin and Ren observed, and much to their shock, Link, Chrom, and Grateau puffed away out of existence, leaving only black outlines of their bodies, in the poses that they were holding.

"What the?! What just happened?" stammered Robin.

"They must have warped somewhere else!" shouted Ren.

Footsteps were heard below them, and they turned around to see the backup that they didn't want to see.

"Great, the last thing we need. More Interlopers," said Ren.

* * *

 **Ylisstol Castle**

Chrom, Link, and Grateau phased into the throne room of Ylisstol Castle, maintaining the same pose that they were in when they were in Hyrule Castle. The lifted their swords away from the clash, and took a gander at the room around them. They certainly weren't in Hyrule.

"What is this? Ylisstol Castle?" said Chrom.

"...?"(Link).

"It happened, didn't it?" Grateau said. "A battle between the three blades. Every time they touch together, they warp you to the different realms from which they originated."

"I'd like to go back to Hyrule then," uttered Chrom.

He swung Falchion at Grateau, who parried the swing. Link went and swung again, and his hit was parried as well. Grateau swung back, and Link brushed it away with his shield. Chrom dashed and jumped in, swinging his sword down on Grateau, and landed another slice, which leaked more of the black squares. Link followed the attack with a back slice. He rolled around Grateau and jumped, swinging while doing so. He landed a direct slice in Grateau's back, and Link kicked him down to his knees. He held the Master Sword to the back of his neck.

"Your end has come," Chrom said.

"Not just yet," said Grateau. "Behind you."

Six Ylissean soldiers entered the throne room, ready with spears and shields.

"Lord Chrom, what are you doing here? We thought you were away!" shouted one of the soldiers.

In the instant the soldiers walked in, Link saw Grateau's subtle movements. He saw a slight shift in his left leg, which raised a huge alarm inside of Link.

"!"(Link). He yelled for the soldiers to get out the room.

Grateau's swift and seemingly inhumane speed pushed him to an upright position, casting his sword outwards. Six black, dagger-like objects shot out at the guards. Time slowed down, as Chrom swung his sword to shove Grateau's down, and Link swung his sword to slice Grateau again. They hit the Twilight Sword and Grateau's body at the same time, and they warped again, out of Ylisse, into another world.

* * *

 **The Twilight Realm**

Chrom pushed Grateau on to the ground, and he rolled over to the side, getting back up on his feet. They were back in the three-way battle, in yet again in another realm. Chrom immediately took in the dark surroundings, and the surges of black fog and clouds.

"Great, where are we now?!" he shouted.

"Welcome to the Twilight Realm," Grateau replied. "You're fighting in my homeland now!"

The black fog felt a bit humid to Link. There was something solid in it. Particles of some sort. The sudden surge of movement inside his body then alarmed him of what was in the fog: shadow crystals. He dropped to his knees, and then on his arms.

"...!"(Link). Not again. Not now especially.

He puffed and shattered into black squares, and reformed into a wolf. Chrom, looked at him, and Link barked in response repeatedly. Chrom looked ahead of him, and blocked the sword swing from Grateau. The two of them locked into battle, one on one. After dozens of sword parries, Chrom landed a slice across Grateau's chest, and another down Grateau's left arm. Chrom kicked Grateau down on to the ground, and raised his sword. He could have ended it there, but Grateau still had another trick up his sleeve. Or rather, the Twilight Realm had a trick up its sleeve. A being from the world of light is not meant to dwell in the Twilight Realm for long. Link was fine, since he would just turn into a wolf. But Chrom lowered his sword arm, and coughed into his shoulder. He coughed a black fog out, and it visibly stained his shoulder.

"You have have a few minutes until the light that forms within your body fades, and all that's left is darkness," said Grateau.

He was back on his feet as if the two sword hits were nothing. He went and swung at Chrom, to which he sloppily parried with Falchion. Their clash of parries wasn't as before, since Chrom was getting weaker and weaker. The shadow crystals were seeping into him. Their positions switched, and Chrom was lying on his back, holding his sword out, trying to hold off Grateau's Twilight Sword. While their swords were touching together as they fought, Link dashed in and sunk his teeth into Grateau's left waist. He screamed as Link growled. And quickly, their bodies warped out of the realm.

* * *

 **Hyrule Castle**

Ren dug his sword into the downed body of the Interloper, and Robin singed the face of the other.

"Man, where are they?" Ren said.

As soon as he said that, Chrom, Grateau, and a wolf warped into the room. They were glad to see Chrom, but Ren was confused as to why a wolf was there in place of Link. The wolf was biting on to Grateau, and in response Grateau moved off of Chrom, and spun around in an attempt to get the wolf off of him. He whirled the wolf away and on to the ground near Chrom. Chrom stood back up, and had another coughing fit. The wolf got back up and moved in front of Chrom. Grateau was standing still, keeping a distance away from them. He slouched down, clenching his bite wounds on his left waist.

Ren started to run over to Chrom, and warped the distance across the throne room to him. He grabbed Chrom's arm and said "Don't move, and don't do anything." Suddenly Ren warped back to Robin, lying on the ground. Robin quickly knelt down to him, to which Ren said "Robin?"

"What is it, Ren?" asked Robin.

"Uh, I'm Chrom," he responded.

"What? I'm pretty sure I'm looking at Ren," said Robin.

"I'm telling, you, I'm Chrom, and Ren just did something- oh," said Chrom.

The two of them looked over to Wolf Link and "Chrom." Chrom held Falchion with two hands, and readied it in a thrusting position. Wolf Link was ready in front of him, growling and snarling at Grateau. Grateau took his hand away from the bite, and swung the Twilight Sword into an assassin-like wielding position. He looked as if he was going to perform the lethality technique. But to their surprise, he disappeared in a puff of black squares. He reformed behind "Chrom," and caught him by surprise. He subsequently impaled Chrom right through the stomach. The sword went halfway through, so half of the blade was in front of Chrom, and the other half was behind.

"Nooo!" Robin and "Ren" shouted. At the same time, Link howled at the top of his lungs.

Chrom fell to his knees and dropped Falchion. Grateau put his hand on Chrom's chest to keep him upright.

He whispered into his ears "Long-live the king. OR was it exalt?"

"You know, that doesn't matter, *cough*. I can be happy knowing that I've deceived the very man who taught me this," said Chrom.

"What incoherence is this?" replied Grateau.

"Take a look."

Suddenly the apparition of Chrom faded away. It revealed Ren'kir, kneeling, with the Twilight Sword halfway through his stomach. Grateau screamed, and shoved the blade farther in, and enough that he was stopped when the hilt of the handle reached Ren's back. Chrom, who no longer looked like Ren, charged over, but with Ren's sword. He tackled Grateau down, leaving him defenseless. Chrom jabbed his face, then stood up, and stabbed the sword through Grateau's heart, skewering him into the floor.

"You're not dying just yet, but I hope this is painful for you," Chrom uttered.

Chrom went and picked up Ren's body, and carried him out, as Link trotted along behind him. The battle was over, and Grateau lied down on the castle floor. Too weak to get up, but he still had enough life in him to stay alive. And he knew there was only one way this would end for him.

* * *

 **Later... Town Square**

The soldiers rallied into the town square. The ones in need of medical treatment were gathered at the southern street, and the rest were lounging in the streets, waiting for the rest of their allies to come out from the castle. Frederick assumed command until Chrom came back.

He went to Libra and asked "Have there been any casualties?"

"Blessed Naga, we have none. However, the injuries and wounds of some of them are beyond our healing expertise," he answered.

"And what of these injuries, if you care to elaborate?" asked Frederick.

"Some of them have suffered arrow wounds. And, Lon'qu has sustained a very severe sword wound to his arm. The pain has been subdued, and the arm is still attached, although he may never be able to use his right arm again."

Frederick looked to the right, seeing Lon'qu sitting against the wall, with his upper arm bandaged, but completely limp. Sully was with him, and the two seemed to be enjoying each other's presences. Then he scanned around for Cherche. Up in the air, there were some fliers. It didn't take long for him to single out the only wyvern in the air, out of the pegasus fliers. He exhaled with relief, seeing her flying, and completely un-phased from the battle.

Whilst waiting for the others to return from the castle, he checked on his battalion. His cavalier group was huddled around by the eastern street. They were lounging like everyone else, and were at ease. Though, one would be alarmed by stacks and piles of Twili Risen/Interloper corpses around. The body of the Twili Bulbin Leader was also being carried out by Darbus and the other Gorons. How they would get it out, Frederick did not know. Perhaps they were going to throw it over the wall.

After what seemed like hours, one of the generals yelled from atop the fountain wreckage, "Rally up! Our forces are returning from the castle!"

They rallied into the Town square, to see soldiers exiting from the arched gateways. The last people who came out were Chrom and Robin. Chrom was carrying the corpse of Ren. A deep silence halted any voices, as they looked to their fallen ally.

"Though we are victorious, it was not without casualties. Ren'kir sacrificed himself, and took a stab that was supposed to kill me," Chrom said. "But he will answer for this. Grateau will face the highest punishment that there is."

* * *

 **The Throne Room**

"Why, are, you, still here?" Grateau stammered, coughing out black liquid during each pause.

"..." (Link). It was to make sure he wouldn't go anywhere.

"Do you, not see me like this? I, can't go anywhere with a damn sword in me," Grateau remarked.

Link remained silent at Grateau's remark.

"We all know what will happen to me. *Cough,* They'll execute me. By hanging or by a sword, they will kill me," said Grateau.

"..." (Link). Link explained that Hyrule hasn't given a capital punishment for decades.

"I guess I'll be the first then, *cough.*

* * *

 _Note: At the last part with Grateau and Link, Link was turned back into a human by Midna. They presumably met in front of the castle, and she turned him back into a human, and he went back up to Grateau._

 _-Kaz_


	16. Chapter 16: The Execution

**Chapter 16: The Execution**

 **Bridge of Eldin, Minutes Before Sunset**

"The accused, man, Grateau, known by no other name, is here to answer for his crimes against the Kingdom," shouted Chrom. "The only sentence for such an act, is execution."

Chrom stopped, and Frederick took over. "The method of execution shall be beheading by the very blade he wielded, and then forgotten in the abyss that lies under the Bridge of Eldin," Frederick stated.

"The crimes against this interloper will now be listed: Raising an army with malicious intent. Kidnapping the residents of Ordon Village, and performing dark hexes on them. Invading and capturing the Sacred Grove. Attempting to capture Kakariko Village, and its neighboring Goron territory, Death Mountain. Destroying established property of the kingdom. Enacting an insurrection against the throne, and usurping control over Castle Town," listed the Hyrulean general. "Does the accused have any last thoughts, that they perhaps want to say?"

"Its a bit barbaric, this execution. But know that it was you, who is bringing this demise that will befall upon all of you," Grateau said. "But, I have accomplished what I set to do."

"It doesn't seem so, considering you're about to be executed," said Chrom.

"Oh, what it would take for me to elaborate," said Grateau. "Through a tear in time, you pulled pockets of people. The tear was small, but then you brought an entire army through, and ripped it wider. But it needed something to cut that final string. And that is when the Three Blades touch in unison. When the Twilight Sword, the Master Sword, and Falchion collide, they shall make the cut that brings the worlds together. The merge. No, not the merge. The collision. By bringing an army to save Hyrule, you set it on a collision course with your world."

"..." (Link). Link watched from afar, and listened in on his words. And he had no words to respond to Grateau. He did not know if he was lying, just to spite them. But part of him felt that it was true.

Chrom knew inside that Grateau was right. Naga warned him and Robin, about how pulling the army through could be cataclysmic. He had to keep the horrible feeling of knowing that his enemy was right, and that they, the army that saved Hyrule, probably just doomed it completely. But Chrom didn't stiffen up. He kept his tall posture, and asked if Grateau had anything more to say.

"You know I'm right. And these be my last words," said Grateau.

"He has spoken his last words. The executioner shall now step forward, with the Twilight Sword in hand," yelled Frederick.

The executioner, clad in Hylian armor, stepped forward, wielding the Twilight Sword. He raised it high. Everyone in the crowd waited as he held it in the air.

He sliced diagonally, cutting off Grateau's head. It landed on the bridge, and rolled off into the abyss. His kneeling, lifeless body collapsed to the floor of the bridge. The executioner went and pushed it with his foot, and the headless corpse fell off the edge, following Grateau's head. As they fell, their departure was cheered on by the screams of soldiers, and pushed down further by smug satisfaction of the executioner.

* * *

 **Hyrule Field**

"And from whence are the origins of this sword?" asked Zelda.

"It is definitely of Interloper design. Few of these have been forged, and even fewer have survived to this day. But I do not know its power," answered Midna. "It'd be best that I take this away, and store it in the Twilight Realm for the time being, until we can find out its capabilities."

"And what of what Grateau said about the collision that would unfold?" Zelda questioned.

"..." (Link). He felt that Grateau was speaking the truth, and such a thing was possible.

"But was that his plan all along? To bring our realms to a cataclysmic end?" said Midna.

"The cunning intellect to think of something such as that would be prophetic, in a way," Zelda replied.

"..." (Link). As he thought, and tried to put pieces together, one name rang when he put everything into perspective.

Zant. Zant was a shade to Grateau. In the realm of the dead, shades were able to see snippets of the future. And it could have been written down into a book. Could Zant have told Grateau what would happen in the future, and have him cause it to change into what they experienced? And what was the original timeline? Was it better or worse? Or was it just vengeance on Zant's behalf?

"Hello, Hyrule to Link?" exclaimed Midna, waving her hand in his face.

Link snapped out of his thought, and refocused on Midna and Zelda.

"What were you thinking about?" Midna inquired.

"..." (Link). He replied nothing, and said that they should get going, since everyone else was beginning to leave back to Castle Town.

"Whatever you say," Midna responded.

They joined the rest of the soldiers marching back to Castle Town. The usual mass of guards that surrounded Zelda was absent, since they were back in Castle Town, having been recently freed from the dungeons. Only a royal scribe, the executioner, and high ranking members were allowed to view executions. Then again, Link, Chrom, Frederick, Robin, and other Shepherd militia were protection enough.

Link continued to ponder whether or not Grateau's prophecy for the end of the world was true. Though at this point, it isn't a question of will it happen. Now it was when and how it will happen. He could only to turn to one person for this.

* * *

 **Castle Town**

The barren streets of Castle Town gave off an eerie tone to those who entered back. The usual clamor was gone, when all of the citizens were relocated to the southern exit of Castle Town. The Shepherds that didn't go to the execution remained with the citizens, encamped outside. The entirety of the field outside of the stone stairways and platforms of the southern entrance was filled with citizens, hoping that they could go home. They knew the battle was over, but the a significant part of the population was missing. The Hylian Army was rounded up by the Interlopers, and tossed in the dungeons below. Anyone who conspired or spoke against the Interloper was seized, and thrown into a the poorly maintained dungeon as well. A good number of civilians were imprisoned, and it was quite a surprise when they were finally freed from the dungeons, but no one was in Castle Town.

Before they were allowed to find their friends and family at the southern exit, the healers, led by Libra, wanted to treat the prisoners. Some of them were severely malnourished, in desperate need of food and water. As far has the Libra knew, none of them had actually died in the dungeons, but a few were only inches away from passing out.

Awaiting at the gates of the castle were none other than Zelda, Link, Midna, Chrom, Robin, Frederick, and everyone else who attended the execution. The deed was done. Grateau was dead, and his head and body were down in the abyss under Eldin Bridge. All that's left to do is rebuild and go home.

"Chrom!" shouted Libra. "Has it been done?"

"Yes. He will never bring terror upon this kingdom again," Chrom solemnly said. "How are the prisoners?"

"They're all fine. A bit malnourished, but they'll survive," he answered.

"That's good to hear," Chrom answered.

Somewhere in the mass of soldiers, one shouted "'Tis the queen and the general!"

The soldiers that were standing kneeled down to them. The general said "As you were!" and they stood back up. A soldier approached the general and stated "General, how long until we can see our families again? The citizens?"

"When the queen and the other Lord over there agree to do so. We need to make sure there you're all fine, and don't have any hexes or dark magic latched on to you," answered the General.

"We've checked all of them, and they're all healthy," stated Libra.

"Let them do so. And send word to let the citizens back in," ordered Zelda.

"Right away, your highness," the General responded.

* * *

 **?, Hyrule Castle**

Link, Chrom, Robin, and Midna didn't know where Zelda was taking them. Or why Link had to carry Ren'kir's body. They'd went into the armory, and she pulled a brick out, which caused a door to open in the wall in the far right corner. They then descended through that new door, down into a dark, musty, cold, crypt. But at least there weren't any spiderwebs. The torches seemed to be freshly lit as well.

"This is the tomb of Hyrule's Greatest Warriors," said Zelda. "For extraordinary heroes who have fought to protect Hyrule."

She led them to the end of the hall, and made a left, and then pulled out an ornate marble tomb. Link laid Ren's body in the tomb, and they said their final words to him.

"I did not know him for long, but he used his own Twilight power well to fight for Hyrule. For that, I give him a royal blessing," Zelda said.

"He took a sword swing by the hands of Grateau that was supposed to kill me. He sacrificed himself for me. For that, I give my greatest thanks, and hope he resides with Naga," said Chrom.

"Though not an ally at first, he became a crucial asset to our militia. Something that is one of a kind," said Robin.

"When I first saw him, I grabbed him and drained the Twilight out of him. But he was still enough of a Twili being to keep some of his powers. And he rallied an army of Gorons to help fight. Truly a soldier," said Midna.

"..." (Link). Link said that Ren was a crucial aspect to their fight against Grateau. He quickly turned against Grateau, and was one of the four that saved the Ordanian villagers. That would be a debt that could never be paid.

"Goodbye, Ren," Link said.

Zelda pushed the coffin into its slot in the wall. They watched, and then started to walk back, out of the crypt. As they were, Link couldn't help but divert his attention the hall opposite to the one that Ren's body was in. Incoherent whispers went back and forth through his head when he got closer to it. He turned and approached the particular hall. It was just as musty and dark as the rest of the crypt, but something was calling to him. He stopped at the grave nearest the intersection, and scrubbed the stone particles off of the gold plate. It looked as if it was there for centuries. It was probably was there for centuries. He took out his lantern, and lit it. He held it close to the gold plate, and it read "Link, Hero of Time, Father of Saren, Husband of Malon."

He was taken aback, and let out a feint gasp. He just looked at his distant grandfather's tombstone. But if this was the Hero of Time's tomb, who else was in the hall? Link went to the tomb in the far back. As he went back, he noted that there were three tombs, including the Hero of Time's. The first tomb's plate read "Hero of Legend." The second one read "Hero of Minish." After reading all three of them, the whispers came back. They whispered at a fast speed, but then they slowed down so that Link could understand what they were saying. It sounded as if three voices were talking.

They said to him, "Link. Link! What have you done?"

Link dropped the lantern, and pressed his hand against his head. He wanted it to stop. The voices continued, and then a fourth voice entered the mix.

"Link!" shouted the fourth voice.

He darted his head to the intersection, and saw Zelda, holding a bright torch. Her calling out to him caused him to regain focus, and the voices left. He bent down and picked up the lantern, and walked back.

"That was the Hall of Courage. It's said that the bodies of the past heroes have been placed in there. But who knows. They could just be empty tombs, serving as only placeholders," explained Zelda.

"..." (Link). He said that they should go back. He didn't want to be in the crypt any longer.

* * *

 **Kakariko Village, The Next Day**

Link set out on horseback in the morning, leaving only a note to explain his absence. He trekked through the streets out the eastern exit, and then he called out Epona with his horse call. He mounted on to her, and rode to Kakariko Village, with only a few citizens bearing witness to his departure.

He entered the open gate, and rode the to the sanctuary. There, he dismounted and opened its creaky doors. A few people turned their heads, and they immediately rushed towards Link, extending out their arms to hug him. After being nearly tackled, Link saw Renado, Ashei, and Shad.

"Link! You're alive! That means you guys won!" said Ashei, as she pulled him in.

"I am grateful to see you well, Link," said Renado. "And what of the Gorons? And your fellow allies from the other kingdom?"

"..." (Link). He explained that the Gorons were fine, and were assisting in rebuilding Castle Town. The Shepherds from Ylisse were fine as well, except for one.

"Oh no, who died?" asked Shad.

"..." (Link). Ren was killed by Grateau. He tricked Grateau into thinking that he was killing Chrom, but he actually impaled Ren.

"Oh, he..." Ashei said. She was at a loss of words.

"No, he went through all the effort to rally the Gorons, and..." Shad stated. "Tell me that you killed Grateau and that he's dead."

"..." (Link). Executed and thrown off the Bridge of Eldin.

"Good," said Ashei. "It's really over now."

"..." Not necessarily. Link needed to see the book that they stole from Grateau when they first went to his cavern.

"That book? Yeah, I have it here. What do you need it for?" questioned Shad.

Link needed information about the merge.

"Let's see. Ah here. 'The merge shall occur once the a tear large enough to fit a country is made, and once the Three Blades have touched. From there, two worlds shall be brought closer than ever before, and after three days, they shall collide in a spectacular array." Shad read.

Three days. The first day after was Grateau's execution. Today was the second day. They only had today and tomorrow to live.

"Link, you seem a bit spooked," said Shad.

"..." (Link). He said he needed to borrow the book.

"Oh uh, sure, I guess I'm done with it," Shad said.

Link took the red book and hurried out the door. He mounted on to Epona and rode out the northern exit of Kakariko Village, back to Hyrule. This was what Zant envisioned from the dead, and he passed it on to Grateau. And if this was true, and they were set on this course, then their worlds would end the next day. And he had to break the news to Chrom, Zelda, Midna, and everyone else.

* * *

 **Hyrule Castle, The Throne Room**

Link sprinted up the stairs, and across the entire span of the throne room to reach Zelda, Midna, Chrom, and Frederick.

"Link, what's with the urgent sprinting?" asked Chrom.

"..." (Link). He opened the book to the section about "The Merge," and showed it to them. The stuff that Grateau was rambling about before he died was true.

"Still, even if it's written in the book that they used, how can we be so sure that he isn't just lying?" questioned Chrom.

"..." Link explained how he had a Shade, a mentor, that occasionally comes to this world from the realm of the dead, and teaches Link. Grateau had a similar Shade, except his was Zant. In the world of the dead, Shades were able to see possible timelines that could occur. Zant must have found a timeline that would lead to their worlds colliding, and told Grateau how to set the worlds into this timeline.

"...That bastard. Even when he's dead, we can't escape his petulant schemes," said Midna. "But according to that book, we only have until tomorrow to live."

"And there's no way to stop it?" Chrom questioned.

"There must be," said Frederick.

"On such short notice, I don't think there's anything we can do," said Zelda.

"What about the Shade? Maybe he knows?" asked Midna.

"..." Link replied about how he wouldn't tell them if he did. The Shade warned Link about this, and he didn't listen.

"Naga warned me and Robin personally as well," said Chrom.

"Wait, you were warned about this and you still went through with it?" Midna sternly questioned.

"What choice did we have. Do nothing and let Hyrule be captured by Grateau?" Chrom answered.

"He does have a point. Personally, I'd rather our worlds end under peaceful reign and tranquility, rather than live on longer ruled by another Zant," said Zelda. "I'd rather die knowing he has been defeated, rather than having failed the kingdom. Wouldn't you?"

* * *

 **Later, After Nightfall**

Robin and Say'ri strolled through the courtyard, admiring the variety of plant life. Every color one could imagine was in it, whether it was a tree, a flower, or a bush. Say'ri walked toward a particular tree, which resembled that of a cherry blossom tree from Chon'sin. But the petal-like leaves didn't have a pink color. Instead it was a maroon color.

"That tree looks so close to a cherry blossom tree, even down to the color of the bark," she said.

"I can't wait to see one those when we get back to Chon'sin," said Robin.

"When will that be?" she asked.

"We leave tomorrow morning, and leave for Chon'sin three days after."

They spotted a bench, and walked toward it. Say'ri sat down, and as Robin was about to, he heard a male voice call out his name.

"Robin, a word if you have a moment!" shouted the voice.

He looked back and saw Frederick and Chrom waiting at the other end of the winding stone trail, at the wide arch of the courtyard.

"I'll be back," he said to Say'ri.

He trekked through the courtyard to the arch, and met with Chrom and Frederick. They had stoic faces on, and the nudged him to move to the side, out of sight and against the wall. Frederick and Chrom positioned themselves to corner Robin, to his confusion.

"This is of a, dire, matter, so to speak," said Frederick.

"What is it?" Robin asked.

"Link told us that when him, Grateau, and I fought, and our three swords touched, we set something in motion. Something Grateau was planning," Chrom answered. "The end of the world. We also set it in motion when I used the radiating stone to make a portal big enough to bring an army through."

"What, how could that...?" Robin responded.

Robin broke eye contact and looked down, processing what he was just told. It came as a huge shock, because they effectively doomed the world while trying to save it. Although, the shock was also due to him and Chrom being warned by Naga. Yet they chose to ignore her and take that risk.

"Who knows?" Robin asked.

"Aside from us and Link, the only other people are Midna and Zelda," Chrom replied.

Robin sighed, and said "How long? Maybe we can stop it."

"We only have until tomorrow. Not enough time," Chrom answered.

"Then what do we do?!" he yelled.

"Sh, lower your voice," Chrom said. "We don't think there's anything we can do."

"Then, we're just gonna let the world end?" Robin quietly exclaimed in an exaggerated whisper.

"It appears so," said Frederick.

"But...but..." Robin stammered.

"I'm sorry Robin. But we can't find a way out of this," said Chrom.

Robin lifted his head back up and said "Who else can know?"

Chrom pondered for a few moments, and responded with "The rest of the Shepherds can know. Though, it's imperative that none of the citizens know. They would panic, and chaos would ensue before the actual chaos."

"If that's how it must be, then..." Robin said. He moved around Frederick and Chrom and began to move back into the courtyard. As he went, Frederick said something to him.

"We leave for Ylisse tomorrow, nine hours after," he shouted.

"Alright," Robin yelled back in a neutral manner, masking any feelings he had inside.

Frederick and Chrom departed down the hall, and Robin walked back to the bench and Say'ri. He spaced out in her sitting there. She seemed so at peace, admiring the tree next to the bench, something they wanted to do when the war with Grima was over. But after Grima's defeat, there was the long process of rebuilding parts of Ylisse, ravaged by the war. Both of them had to tend to their respective countries, and separated for the time. But, five months later, after the relief process was completed, Robin got on a boat to Chon'sin, and reunited with Say'ri. The next two months were filled with bliss. They made plans to have Robin become the Emperor of Chon'sin, and Say'ri the Empress. And though they did marry in secret, the plans for a formal coronation were halted when Robin received a letter from Ylisse, stating that Exalt Chrom needed his master tactician. And then they happened to come across a man in green garbs, in a kingdom called Hyrule.

"What was that about?" she asked.

"...Where do I start?" Robin responded.


	17. Chapter 17: Departure

**Chapter 17: Departure**

 **The Southern Entrance**

"Ugh, did it really have to rain on today of all days?" Gerome uttered.

"Would you prefer that it be freezing snow?" Frederick responded.

"Oh father, I wonder what the backstory behind that is," Gerome said.

It was the dawn of the final day, and the Shepherds were greeted by an oncoming torrent of rain. With only today to live, they were leaving back to Ylisse. Hyrule was back under control, and the Interloper threat was gone. Most of the Gorons departed, aside from the few that resided in Castle Town. Any other problems that could arise would not be anything that the royal family couldn't handle. Thus, the Shepherds militia could leave.

All of the soldiers awaited in the grass fields of the Southern Entrance of Castle Town, arranged in small battalions as when they arrived. Some of them wore bandages, and some in arm casts. They won, but it wasn't an easy battle. At the the head of the congregation, nearest to the stone stairs, Chrom, Robin, Zelda, Midna, and Link stood.

"I'm sorry you have to leave in such inclement weather," Zelda said.

"We'll be fine, as long as we get out before it gets worse," said Robin.

"Well, this is goodbye. Our final goodbye," said Chrom.

"Members of your militia are welcome to stay, if they desire to do so," Zelda said.

"It'd probably be best that they come home, and so we don't abruptly return with missing soldiers. I'd have a hard time explaining that to their families," Chrom replied.

"So be it. May Naga watch over you as the end approaches," Zelda said.

"May the Light Spirits watch you as the end comes," Robin responded.

"Take care, you three," said Chrom.

Chrom and Robin rallied the militia, and they stood tall, awaiting for Chrom to strike with Falchion. Chrom held Falchion skyward, and a bolt of lightning struck down on to it, energizing the sword. The soldiers standing nearest to Chrom jolted and winced back, yet Chrom was not phased as sparks fell into the wet grass. He brought down Falchion, and held it with both hands, and thrusted it into the ground. The lightning moved in an instant and bolted through the ground that the militia was standing on. And in an instant bright, blue light, the Shepherds were gone.

* * *

 **South of Ylisstol**

Bright blue light radiated from a dome-shaped source. It shined for seven seconds until it faded, bringing the Shepherd army from Hyrule. Chrom was still holding the position of impaling Falchion into the ground. The lightning had sent sparks flying, and the soldiers ducked down and covered their heads while being transported back. When they entered back into Ylisse, they poked their eyes up, and lifted themselves back up from their slouching positions.

Chrom lifted the sword out of the ground, and said to Robin "We're home."

Robin replied "We made quite a scene. Look"

Chrom looked around, and noticed the small flames lit by the sparks falling on to the grass. They even managed to light a fallen tree branch. Frederick and some other soldiers moved around and stepped on the flames, putting them out. One even took their canteen of water and put out the flame on the tree branch.

"Let's get back to the castle before a bunch of soldiers arrive," said Frederick.

* * *

 **The Mirror Chamber, Midday**

"This time, I'm not shattering the Mirror," said Midna.

Midna, Zelda, and Link stood in the Mirror Chamber, similar to when Midna departed after Ganondorf's defeat. With Grateau dead, Midna's job was done. She didn't need to stay in Hyrule, though not to say that she didn't want to.

"I could stay, but I should be with my people when the end comes tonight," Midna said. "But I wonder, what exactly would you two be doing if the world wasn't ending?"

"I'd have to tend to Castle Town, and ensure that everyone is safe from harm. That would include rallying a better military force," Zelda answered.

"And what of you, Link?" Midna asked.

"..." (Link). He said he would have gone to Ylisse with Chrom and Robin.

"I'd be interested too. Who knew that there were worlds beyond ours?" Midna responded. "Oh wait, I just remembered."

She phased her right hand into Link's chest, and he winced and curled up. Midna then ripped her hand out, and opened her grip, which revealed a shadow crystal that was still inside Link.

"I forgot that was still in you. Though I'm not sure why it didn't turn you into a wolf," she said. "I'll take it, for safekeeping."

The three of them awkwardly waited, and none of them made a move. Zelda broke the silence with "I don't think I want to say goodbye. Now that everything's done, we can't even enjoy ourselves."

"Not exactly. You two still have today. You shouldn't waste it being sad," said Midna.

Midna stepped up to the platform, and said "Until whatever happens after. See you later." She passed through the Mirror portal, back into the Twilight Realm.


	18. Chapter 18: It's not the end, is it?

**Chapter 18: It's not Really the End, is it?**

 **Ylisstol Castle, Balcony of the Royal Bedroom, Two Hours Before Collision**

"Was it worth it? Saving all those lives, liberating the kingdom, if all we've done is just bring about the end to everything?" Chrom said to Sumia. "I'm sorry if I'm sounding disheartening, but-"

"Save the sadness for whatever comes next. Right now, I want these final hours to be peaceful, for everyone. It was better if everyone else in Hyrule and Ylisse didn't know," she replied.

Chrom looked up, and saw what most would interpret as a beautiful night sky. The vibrant purple with a hint of magenta mixed throughout, like a pallette of mixed paint, with little bright specks of stars illuminating it. Most would love to see and cherish it, and it was a sight to behold. Chrom could even see people in the distance, holding lanterns and looking at the curtain of night. But he just couldn't do the same. He looked up, and felt resentment. He saw only saw the end. A beautiful lie. Inside, he had a gut-wrenching feeling that this was going to be the cataclysm that Naga warned him about. The warning that he chose to ignore.

He sat on a cushioned bench, which fit him and Sumia, who was holding infant Lucina, who was fast asleep. Two guards stood behind them, behind the closed balcony doors. The end really just felt abrupt. The feeling that everything would end in a blaze of colliding universes. Maybe not in a blaze, but collision was definite. Yet, it just seemed too peaceful. It was probably for the best this way. No anarchy, no riots and mobs in the streets, and the only chaos that would unfold would be the ultimate end.

* * *

 **Hyrule Castle, Outside of the Throne Room, Two Hours Before Collision**

Had Hyrule come close to the end of the world? Probably, in the long timelines of past Links, but Hyrule as it was now, so ever close to Twilight, it hadn't. Even more so, Link was powerless to stop it. However, the feeling that cut deeper was knowing this was the last time that he'd be around everyone. Despite this, he chose to spend the next hour or so aimlessly wandering the pillaged castle. He brought himself to the balcony outside of the throne room, the highest part of the castle, and the closest part to the purple skies above.

"The end of the world is coming, and you're choosing to face it alone?" Zelda asked as she approached from the ascending stairs.

"..." He said that the end to the whole debacle was bittersweet. Save Hyrule, but at the same time, they doomed it.

"So you'd rather spend the last hours revelling in shame and despair?"

"..." He responded by saying that he'd be more blissful if he didn't know that the end was coming.

"That's quite ironic. I presumed that someone like you would live like there is no tomorrow, or rather, since there is no tomorrow."

"..." Even then, Link didn't think of himself as that interesting of a person. Then he asked what Zelda thought she should be doing right now.

"Well, something that would involve you, but it is illegal for a member of the royal family to do so with someone who is not her betrothed."

"..." That law hasn't stopped Link before.

"Heh, I remember that. After you rode back into Castle Town. I told the guards to leave, and we did it behind the throne."

Link continued to stare down at the sparsely lit Castle Town. He spaced out as he looked into the distance, and Zelda's voice was drowned out. When she noticed his lack of attention, she placed her right hand on his left hand. He looked at it, and looked back up to her.

"I'll be in my bedroom," she said.

She upped and left down the flight of stairs down to the castle. Link waited for a moment, until he decided to follow her down the stairs.

* * *

 **Ylisstol Streets**

The shepherds that weren't inside the castle were spread among the populous of Ylisstol. It looked as normal as any night would be. The density of the crowds was a bit larger from the sky, but nonetheless, the unsuspecting crowds went along with their usual business. It turns out that waiting for the end of the world is boring. Or rather, it was only as boring as you made it. Lon'qu was unluckily limited from not being able to use his right arm, which was now just dead weight. Subsequently, he was a bit more arrogant than usual. But that didn't stop Sully from bringing him out of the castle, and to the farther parts of Ylisstol.

"Who knew that the end of the world could look to vibrant," said Sully.

"Well uh, I suppose, for what it's worth, the sky does look, uh, rather, uh," replied Lon'qu.

"Man. I've seen anxious, but you really don't know how to act around women, do you? I thought you were past that stage when we became each other's spouses."

"Admittedly."

"Really, what happened? What made you so fearful around women?"

"I'd rather not say," he firmly said.

"If you don't get it out now, you won't get it out ever. Whatever skeleton you have in the closet, it must have been eating at you for years to make you like this."

"For a woman, you don't act like any I've ever seen. Guess that's why my aversion isn't as bad around you. You're the first since Ke'ri-" he said, until he abruptly stopped.

"Ke'ri, huh?" Sully questioned.

"Dammit," Lon'qu uttered.

"You know you're not getting out of this."

"You don't want to know. You really wouldn't."

"You have two hours left in your life. Don't you want to relieve that feeling?"

"Uh," he said, and then paused. He looked up, groaned, then came back, and said "Let's go somewhere where there's less people."

"Now we're talking," Sully responded.

They walked farther from the castle, which got less densely populated the farther one went. They weren't quite at the edge of Ylisstol, but they were a good ten minute walk from it. At this hour, people decided to turn in after a quick look at the sky. The only people outside were the infrequent elderly men that sometimes walked by. Though, they usually steered away from the two of them.

"It was in Chon'sin. I lived on the streets. But, she was there. Ke'ri. She had a better life than me, yet she chose to spend her time with me. But, one day, a group of bandits rode into town. I still remember those unsightly green hoods," Lon'qu said. "During the panic, I got separated from Ke'ri. I rushed to find her, and found her being chased by two bandits. I charged at the first one, and grappled his head against a wall. I tried to get her away, but one stray arrow flew in our direction. One that was meant for me."

Lon'qu paused, with hesitance in his breath. He struggled to get out the words, which he had hoped that he would never narrate in his life.

"The arrow missed," he said with heavy baggage. "It hit her, through her chest. She fell, and died in my arms as the bandits came by."

"Damn... what happened after that," Sully said.

"They knocked me out cold. They took my body and Ke'ri's to the market area. I don't remember much, but from what I gathered before I left, Yen'fay and his group of soldiers came along. They captured all of them, and held a public execution for them. I can only imagine that Ke'ri and the other people who were killed had funerals that were paid for by the royal family," Lon'qu explained. "When I came too, I was in a house. And next to me, I see a dressed up body: Ke'ri's. I was in her house, with her incredulous parents. They blamed me for it. 'If only she hadn't left the house to spend time with that street orphan, she wouldn't have been killed,' they thought. I couldn't bare it. I left their house, and hopped on to a boat that was leaving across the sea. I was only twelve at that time. I had no idea where it was going, but I didn't care. That's when I ended up in Regna Ferox. This cold, freezing, stoic country, filled with pride of their way of the warrior."

"So that's how you ended up in there," said Sully.

"I had nowhere to go. No home, no money, and no idea where I was. That didn't matter. A battalion of soldiers found me, and I got put to work. Or rather, training. From that moment, I wasn't gonna be the one who has to avoid bandits. And then, it all just happened. Seven years later, and Khan Basilio notices my sword skills. One year later, and I'm his champion. Three years later, I get my ass handed to me by Lucina," said Lon'qu.

A silence filled in as they stopped at a street intersection, illuminated by two lanterns on opposite corners. Lon'qu felt a feeling of relief, but at the same time, all of the repressed feelings were working their way through his body. His hands tensed up, as did his shoulders.

"Hey, you know, on a second thought, maybe you didn't have to say-" Sully said.

"Don't. It's, it's fine. I just, never told anyone. I thought I'd be taking that to my grave," he replied.

"For what it's worth, I don't think Ke'ri's parents would be holding a grudge against you for eleven years. Who knows, they might have forgiven you by now."

Lon'qu paused and looked down. He interrupted with "Why'd you bring me out here in the first place?"

"Because you were sittin' on your ass with a glass in the barracks, and Naga forbid that I want to spend time with my husband before the world ends," she responded.

"No really. The only people who've made an effort to socialize with me are Robin and Gaius."

"And you just want to wallow in your despair for your whole life? There's a person behind that myrmidon I met three years ago, and I'm going to find him, in life, or whatever happens after death."

Lon'qu sighed, and the two of them stood in the street. Lon'qu turned around, and started to walk back to the castle. Sully went and followed him. He felt tempted to shoo her away, but he also felt another feeling being with her, someone he was comfortable around, and someone who made an effort to understand him. He let her walk back with him.

* * *

 **Ordon Village, One Hour and Fifteen Minutes Before Collision**

"Has Link come back from Castle Town yet?" Colin said to his father.

"No. Afraid that he won't be back until tomorrow," Rusl answered.

"Do you think he's seeing the sky right now?" Colin asked.

"Oh, I'm sure he can see it," Rusl answered.

Rusl sat down with Colin on the porch of their house and watched the sky. Until this point, they'd never seen anything like it. From the quiet little village of only a few people, it was easily the most beautiful thing they've ever seen. The one thing that could make it better was Link being there.

* * *

 **Ylisstol, One Hour Before Collision**

Robin lied in bed, next to Say'ri. He was reading the last chapter of the book "A Dragon and His Follower," while Say'ri rested her head on his shoulder. The last line read "No one knew what happened to them after, but it is believed that they flew to another kingdom, where dragons were much more tolerated. Or, their premonitions caused them to leave, escaping the wars that were yet to come. Even then, one can sometimes hear the roar of the Dracus and the laugh of Jackson." Robin finished, then closed the book. He placed it on the night stand, and relaxed further into the bed.

He looked at the tall clock to the side, and said "One hour."

Say'ri moved up and said "Until the end."

Robin paused, and then asked "Say'ri, how is death viewed in Chon'sin?"

"Hmm. Death is like an end to your first life. Then you begin your life in a world that is beyond ours. But, your deeds in your first life decide where you go in the world beyond. It is believed that if you are a kind, chivalrous, pure individual, then your later life will be rewarding. However, if you're filled with despicable intentions, then I suppose one would be in a prison of sorts, after they die," she answered. "What do you suppose?"

"I'm not sure. Really, I've only had memories of the past four years, starting with when Chrom found me asleep in a field. We've also seen Naga with our own eyes, so does she have something for after?"

"To me, it does not seem probable. Nay, it isn't reasonable, one could say, but I just never believed in such a thing. But what does it mean if there isn't anything?"

"It means you have more of an incentive to live your life while you're alive, for however long that is." He paused, and repeated, "However long that is..."

"What is it?" Say'ri asked.

"I just remembered. I can only remember the four years that led up until now, but I never knew how old I actually am. Then Miriel did some spell, and she said that she estimated my age to be of twenty-six. But I can only remember the past four years. It makes me wonder what happened before Chrom found me in the field."

"I'm sure you were the shining tactician you are, with or without those twenty-two years."

"

 _Later..._

Their last luminous moments were interrupted by the luminous light outside. It shined brighter than the sun after he gets out of his dark bedroom. Its fiery and purple light spread an evanescence between all who saw it. Even if they weren't aware before. It was now, where they realized that there was no way to get out of this. The only thing to do is accept it.

As the rumbling of the ground set in, Robin said "You know, once you accept it, its kind of peaceful. It's a beautiful way to die."

 **Hyrule Castle**

Link and Zelda quickly sat up, looking out of the window, in their state of undress. The ground was rumbling, and the earthquake was only a precursor to what would unfold. The same bright light of evanescence poured through the tall, stained windows, illuminating the room in an array of colors. In the midst of green, teal, purple, and golden light, decorations fell from the walls. Books fell from the shelves, and the Master Sword, formerly perched against the wall, had fallen on to the floor. Zelda got up, and locked the door to her room, to Link's confusion. He signaled a confused state of mind to Zelda, to which she responded "I don't want the guards to come in. They'll rush here and try to protect us- or, well, me, but I'd rather that my end be with a true companion, and not just another person who will blindly follow. What use is a bow if it doesn't have any arrows?" She lied back down on the bed, as did Link. They stared at the ceiling, as the rumbling grew more intense. But at least it blocked out the sound of the guards pounding on the door.

 **Ylisstol Castle, Royal Balcony**

The rumbling started, and the piercing light barged through the sky, to everyone's distress. The guards opened the doors and came to Chrom and Sumia.

"Milord, what's going on?" the guard exclaimed.

"Calm down," Chrom said. "It's nothing to be worried about."

"With all due respect, it seems as if the end of the world is happening!" he shouted in response.

Chrom remained seated on the bench, and silent, not responding at all, as did Sumia. The only thing left to do was wait. And soon, they were shrouded in light, and then there was just, just...

* * *

 **? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?**

 _One could watch this happen for hours. Two little balls with a straight string connecting them. These two balls were swinging around each other, forever and ever, until they were doomed to stop, or when the threading of the string began to tear. But just the endless motion of them swinging around in circles in harmony was enough to entertain a person._

 _But as expected, the sting was growing too weak, and it tore. But, the balls didn't drift apart. They came closer. And as they grew closer, a light shined as if they were heating up. They come together, and then they separate. Then they repeat it, again, and again, and again. Each time, the light grew brighter and brighter. It continued to grow, until it was just pure light. The light did not last forever though. As it faded, sight of the balls came back into clarity._

 _And there were not two, but one._


	19. Chapter 19: I Guess it isn't the End

**Chapter 19: I Guess It Isn't the End**

 **Castle Town**

"The shaking. It stopped," said Zelda.

"..."(Link). He told her to get some clothes on.

Both of them got dressed, and Link went to unlock the door. Zelda stopped him, telling him "Don't. You're forgetting that you just slept with a member of the royal family." She motioned her hands in an oval shape, and brought them together, and she changed into Sheik. She was fully clothed in the same garments, but this time, the blanket scarf around her neck was red. "Take the hat and the tunic off." She rummaged through her closet, which was on the ground. She took out a cyan blanket scarf, and a cloak with a hood formed on the top, and threw them to Link. He put them on, with the hood on and the scarf covering the bottom half of his face.

"We don't know what we're getting into,"she said. She moved the side of the bed to the left, revealing a hidden trapdoor under. "The royal family's bedrooms always have secret exits." They opened the door and went down on to the ladder. They landed in a sparsely lit tunnel, with a few cracks leaking light in. Sheik put her hands together, and shot a fireball straight ahead, lighting up torches as it shot through. After lighting six torches, the fireball dissipated. The two of them walked to the other end, finding a ladder. Sheik climbed up first, removing the stone that concealed the hole. They climbed up, reaching what appeared to be the front courtyard of the castle. They laid low, and crept against the stone walls.

"This doesn't look much like an afterlife," said Sheik.

They climbed up the ladder to the top of the wall, and surveyed what they could see. It just looked like normal Castle Town, albeit with some chunks of rubble lying on the ground. In the distance they saw panicking citizens mucking about the streets, crowding up the town square. Some guards were rushing in, hoping to mediate the crisis. Link and Sheik leaned against the wall, of the catwalk, and tried to ponder what was going on.

"Is this the end, or did nothing happen?" Sheik questioned.

"..."(Link). He asked Sheik for her knife. She handed it to him, and Link lifted up his sleeve. He quickly made a small cut in his upper arm. He flinched as he did it, pulling away the knife when he finished. He handed the knife back, and Sheik quickly took it and sheathed it.

"What are you doing!?" she uttered quietly.

"..." (Link). He said that cutting his arm definitely hurt, as if he was alive.

"Hm. I wonder," she replied. She took the knife back out, and did the same, making a small cut in her upper arm. She pulled it away and flinched, and sheathed the knife back. "We're definitely alive."

"...?"(Link). But why? If the worlds collided, then shouldn't their existence have been erased in the destruction of two realms?

"I don't know either. But the sky is still shining in mysterious colors, so something had to have happened," Sheik replied.

Link looked at the sky, and the vibrant purple colors were still present. But as he scanned the sky to the north, the colors blended and darkened until it was black, with the dots of stars above. When he panned down to the south, the colors turned into a dark purple, and then grew brighter into a magenta. Farther down, they saw hints of red and dark blue.

"..."(Link). The changing colors indicate something.

"Let's get out of here, first, then down south," Sheik said.

They scuttled down the wall's catwalk, and onto the border walls. The quickly made their way to the southern wall, where they stopped and jumped down. They purposely avoided the guards, since their attire would get them caught, and they'd have to stay to help explain that the end of the world was happening, but for some odd reason it didn't. And they'd have to explain it to a frantic Castle Town populous.

They exited into Hyrule Field, and Link called Epona. She came dashing from the east, and they mounted on to her. They rode south, across the empty fields, with the exception of the infrequent fauna of the fields and forests. They entered the southern Faron Woods, passing Coro's house, and into the Northern Faron Woods. They front of the small shop, and where the bridges to the Sacred Grove were. They dismounted, and observed the sky above. They were definitely closer to what was causing the sudden shift in the sky's color.

"...!" (Link). He called out to the Hero's Shade.

"Uh, why did you just utter your name?" asked Sheik.

"...!" (Link). He called out again.

A large skeleton-like figure approached to the front of them, slowly fading out of nothingness into reality. The Hero's Shade stopped in front of them and said "He's not the only one who has carried that name before."

Sheik subtly put her hand behind her back, reaching for her knife handle, and said, while trying to hide her slight nervousness, "Who are you?"

"Relax. Lower your arm. I'm not a stalfos. I'm, well, I guess you can know. I'm an ancestor of Link. A previous hero, chosen by the gods," he answered. "I now carry the title of the Hero's Shade."

"Link, why are we here?" asked Sheik.

"..?" (Link). The end came, but for some reason, it wasn't the end. The world still existed, after crashing into the other world.

"I myself do not know. I was expecting that this world and the world of your foreign acquaintances would crash and inevitably die in a fiery cataclysm. But here we are, Hero of Twilight, and the Hylian Princess. I guess that alter of ego of hers was passed down all the way to you," said the Shade.

"How did you know?" asked Sheik. "That this was a disguise?"

"The first person to use those acrobatic Sheikah garbs was the Princess Zelda from my time," he answered.

"Well, since you're here, I should warn you that the bridge connecting the woods to Ordon Village is destroyed. But I do see that a peculiar valley has opened in the southern woods," said the Shade. "Until our paths cross again."

He walked away and faded out of sight. Link and Zelda mounted back on to Epona and rode to the new valley in the southern woods. As they got closer, they saw more debris and boulders on the ground. They reached the valley, and the slipshod arrangement of the rocks in between slightly obstructed the path. They dismounted, and started to walk through the valley. Who knows what would be in it, or what they've uncovered. Frankly, they wouldn't expect what would come.

* * *

 **Ylisstol, Balcony of the Royal Bedroom**

"Your highness, what was that!?" shouted the guard, for the twentieth time.

"That's weird. I thought we'd be dead by now. Maybe that was just a precursor to an even larger end?" Chrom questioned.

"A larger end to what?!" the other guard shouted. "Your highness, what is going on!?"

"The end of the world should have happened from what we understand," Chrom nonchalantly said.

"What?! Why aren't we doing anything then?!" he shouted.

"Well, there's no escaping a giant apocalyptic end to the world, is there? It's not like we can just slay a dragon again to prevent it," answered Chrom.

"But...the people of Ylisstol," the guard interjected.

"Ignorance is bliss. I wouldn't want to have the city turn into a sprawl of chaos," said Chrom. "Even if people are still panicking right now. But I'd rather they panic now and think it was just an earthquake, considering we're still alive."

"Uh, well, what if..."the guard stammered.

"Rally up some soldiers. Go into the streets and help any hysterical citizens, and help mediate the situation," Chrom ordered. "AND DO NOT tell them that the end of the world was happening. All they need to know is that it was an earthquake."

"Uh, yes sir," the other guard said.

Both of them left. After a few moments, Chrom said, "I guess this is a turn for the better, if we're still alive. But why?"

"Maybe Grateau was wrong about the worlds colliding," Sumia responded.

"Unless something happened to prevent that. But what though?"

* * *

 **Tactician's Bedroom**

"This doesn't seem like the end. Although I'm annoyed that the earthquake knocked down my wardrobe and my bookshelf," said Robin.

He and Say'ri got off the bed and lifted the fallen furniture pieces back up. The rest of the room looked as if nothing happened. The windows and curtains remained intact, and there was not a speck of debris on the floor. Robin and Say'ri might as well have gone to sleep. Which is exactly what they did next. Robin tore a piece of paper from his notebook and wrote "Do not disturb, sleeping. Yes, we know that nothing happened," on it. He hung it off the doorknob with a string, and closed and locked the door.

* * *

 **Streets of Ylisstol**

"Man, one measly earthquake and everyone acts like it's the end of the world!" Lon'qu exclaimed.

"Well, that's kind of what it was. Except we aren't dead," Sully said.

The streets were bustling with panicked citizens, and soldiers hustling through the streets. Some poorly built structures collapsed, and so far, the only injuries were minor, and nothing else. But overall, the end of the world was boring. Although, they still had the night sky to look at. A night sky where the colors suddenly shifted to the southeast, like an arrow pointing to something.

"The sky, it changed. Now it's bright towards that direction," said Lon'qu.

"Eh, I guess the sky will be like that for a few days, and then return back to normal," said Sully.

* * *

 **Two Days Later...**

"Hey Robin, wake up dear," said a quiet, but close voice.

Robin opened his eyes and sat up, and Say'ri was beside him.

"Right, it's two days after the supposed end of the world," said Robin.

"Hah, I suppose things do get boring after the battle is over," said Say'ri. "But we are going back to Chon'sin today."

Something sparked in his mind, and he exclaimed "By Naga, I forgot about that!"

"I'll start gathering my things," she said. Then she got off the bed, and started scouring the bedroom for belongings that needed to be packed.

Whilst doing so, she said "I've heard talks from the soldiers. They say that a messenger came back from the eastern deserts, claiming that soldiers encamped there have been defeated by a group of mercenaries. Perhaps we should stay longer?"

"Hm, I wouldn't think so. A small group of bandits isn't much of a concern, and I'm sure the Shepherds can dispose of them quickly," Robin answered.

"Ay, the messenger also claimed it was only two different groups."

"Two? I think I know who they are, and if it's so, our army could definitely finish them."

"Right. So, are you gonna pack your things?"

"Oh, sorry. I'll grab our stuff from the barracks."

* * *

 **Exit of Ylisstol Castle**

Robin and Say'ri received farewells from all of the Shepherds. They organized outside of Ylisstol Castle, saying their goodbyes to the two of them. Robin went to hug Lon'qu at one point, but he unknowingly pushed a bit too hard on Lon'qu's right arm. Lon'qu groaned a bit, and Robin quickly let go. He went back to Say'ri, and they said goodbye to Chrom.

"The castle will be two people lonelier," said Chrom. "We're gonna miss you two."

"I wish we could stay, but we have a country to run," said Say'ri.

"Well, this is goodbye. I hope you two have safe travels back to Chon'sin," said Chrom.

"Farewell, Chrom," Robin said. "You know, I guess it's a good thing I didn't say that when we were on top of Grima."

"All of us would certainly agree. Safe travels, you two!"

Morgan went up to them, and Chrom stepped away to leave the three of them.

"Mother, Father, I'm gonna miss you," she said, as she hugged them.

"Morgan, we'll miss you too. Take care, here in Ylisse. I heard you're gonna study under Ylisse's other tacticians," Say'ri said.

"Yeah, that way I can be a tactician like father, and a swordsman like you," Morgan replied.

"You certainly have the ambition of your mother," Robin said.

Robin went and said goodbye to the other Shepherds, and Say'ri noticed Yen'fay lurking away by a tree. She approached him and said "Do I not get a goodbye from my own brother?"

"Saying goodbye is a hard thing for me to do. Especially after, you died in my world," he answered.

"You could come to Chon'sin," said Say'ri.

"I can't go back there. I died on that volcano."

"People in Chon'sin don't know that you're dead for sure. We could say that your death was misreported, and that you were healed quickly after."

"It's not just that. I can't face the same people I ruled in the other world. If I looked at them, all I'd see are the people I failed."

"Then what will you do now?"

"I've spent enough time hiding here in Ylisse. I've considered traveling across this continent. To either Regna Ferox or Plegia."

"...Well, you're always welcome to come to Chon'sin should the need ever occur."

"Thank you, sister," Yen'fay said. "It looks like it's time for your departure."

Say'ri turned and saw Robin ready to mount on to the two wyverns. She began to walk to Robin, and said "Goodbye, Yen'fay."

"Goodbye, sister."

Robin and Say'ri waved goodbye to everyone, and went to Gerome and Cherche. They offered to fly Robin and Say'ri to Port Ferox, in which they'd get on a Chon'sinese ship. The two of them had their light bags and travel belongings, which were small enough that they could strap them on to the harnesses of the wyverns and they'd still be able to fly. Robin and Say'ri mounted on to the wyverns of Gerome and Cherche, respectively.

"Hold on," said Cherche.

The wyverns lifted off of the ground, and ascended high into the air. Robin looked down to see everyone waving goodbye. He waved back, and the wyverns started to take them west, to Port Ferox.

* * *

 **Edge of Ylisstol**

Frederick rallied his horseback battalion, and a few from the assassin battalion. This included Gregor, Gaius, Sully, and Stahl. They were to investigate the presence of a group of mysterious individuals that managed to defeat a whole group of Ylissean soldiers. They rode out on horseback to the desert that was southeast of Ylisstol. It would take about a day of travel, and they would get there by night. They would set up camp after, and continue for the next day.

Their travel took them from the Sun's highest point in the sky to sundown, in which they reached the edge of the desert. An oasis was near where they camped, giving them access to clean water.

As they set up camp under the darkening sky, they noticed that it was no longer the vibrant colors of the supposed "collision," except for one small blot of magenta colors, aligned to the southeast. When they finished setting up, Gregor and another cavalier stayed awake to keep guard, in case someone attacked them during the night. After a few hours, they'd rotate out and keep security throughout the night.

It went by without any disturbance, and they picked up their march on the next day. Their march halted when they encountered an uncharted village complex.

"Are you using the right map?" asked Frederick.

"I am! This is the most recent one," answered the soldier.

"I don't suppose there's anyone here, or has a cold bath," said Sully. "Sweating my ass off under this armor."

"Gregor, Gaius, you're up," ordered Frederick.

"Why? The door is open comrade. No need for sneakiness," replied Gregor.

Gregor pushed the wooden gate open, and they found themselves in an empty, abandoned ghost town. Though it wasn't much of a town, since it had at most ten buildings. Gregor and Gaius went in, while the rest of them waited. The two of them climbed up to the roof of one of the buildings, with their hoods on and face masks to protect them from the heat. They looked from their vantage point and found nothing. Just abandoned sandstone houses, and torn wood lying all around. They climbed down into the house and exited through the door.

"It appears to be some abandoned outpost," Gaius said. "And there's nothing here. And nothing to pillage."

"Let's head out, go back to the crew," said Gregor.

Gregor and Gaius walked out, and the unit made their way east. They stopped frequently due to the grueling heat, especially the mounted units. Yet, somehow, Frederick was as stalwart and un-phased as ever.

"I don't know... how... you've made it all this way... without breaking a single drop of sweat, commander," said one of the knights, panting in between phrases.

"I must in top condition when serving Lord Chrom," Frederick answered.

Little did they know that Frederick actually drank a heat resistance potion prior to their departure.

* * *

 **Southeastern Deserts**

"There's not a sign of civilization in sight," Sheik said. "And who knows if those mercenaries are tracking us right now."

"..." (Link). They probably shouldn't have gotten involved in the three-way battle between the Riders of Dawn, the Stonewall Knights, and Ylissean Army.

The chasm led to this desert, which they found themselves to be walking on for two days. They interfered in a battle between two mercenary groups and the Ylissean Army in a village. That was the only sight of civilization, and they had to flee from it. It's not like the soldiers were going to attack one by one for Link and Sheik. If they were to attack them in their exhausted state, they would surely fall.

"How were you able to stay in the Gerudo Desert for this long?" Sheik asked, as they trekked along the sand.

"..." There were bulbin camps in the Gerudo Desert. Here, there was one village that they left.

"I feel like this is but an infinite plane of desert. I have not seen any change in the landscape."

They saw sand, sand, and more hills of sand, as far as the eye could see. The grueling heat beat down upon them, as they covered their faces from the sunlight with hoods and wraps. The air appeared as if it were rippling from the heat, and the sand somehow found its way into their clothing.

"Oh great... a mirage of soldiers," Sheik said.

In the distance, Sheik spotted soldiers on horseback, with two people riding per horse.

"..." That wasn't a mirage.

Sheik and Link drew their weapons, and slowly charged forward through the sand.

* * *

"They have their weapons drawn, circle around them!" Frederick said.

The cavaliers steered their horses around the two individuals, fully enclosing them in. One rider from each horse dismounted, with their weapons drawn. After enclosing them in, the two people lowered their weapons, and addressed Frederick.

"Sir Frederick? Could it be?" said one, wrapped in form fitting garbs, wielding a knife.

"State your identities and your business here, in the middle of the desert of all places," Frederick commanded.

"You don't recognize us?" they said.

"Who are you two? Wait, that sword..." Frederick said.

The other person was holding the Master Sword in their left hand, and an ornate blue shield with the triforce crest on their right arm.

"Link?" Frederick said.

"..." Yes, it was him. He'd take his hood off, but he felt that if he did, the sun would set his face ablaze.

"And who is this man with you?"

"My name is Sheik, but I'm actually- well, let's just keep at Sheik. I once worked with your exalt and tactician," Sheik said. "So, I'm sure all of us can lower our weapons."

The soldiers did so, and sheathed their swords and lances.

"..." Link asked why they were in the desert.

"We were here hunting down two mercenary groups who attempted to seize control of a village," said Frederick.

"Did they happen to be the Riders of Dawn, and the Stonewall Knights?" Sheik asked.

"Tis actually so, yes. They once tried to hire Gregor. But the pay was bad. Very bad," Gregor said.

"Which one tried to hire you?" Gaius asked.

"Both of them!" He answered, letting out a chuckle after. "Let's just say I didn't leave on good terms with either."

"..." Link explained that they found the two groups in conflict, and saw the Ylissean army join in as well. So he and Sheik went in and tried to assist the Ylisseans, only for them to find Ylisseans fleeing, and the two of them were against way too many mercenaries. They took out a few, but they came harder, and were probably trying to find them.

"You actually fought them? Hah! A foot soldier cannot just attack a group of horseback soldiers, who maybe have spears. Very pointy spears," said Gregor.

Just as Gregor said that, a rush of horseback soldiers rode to them from the east. Gregor looked far ahead, and noticed their red armor and weapons.

"It looks like we have company," said Gregor. "Can you two still fight?"

"Mostly, though we're a bit worn out from traveling for two days straight," Sheik answered.

Gaius walked up in front of them, next to Gregor, and said "Okay, you two can lay behind. We'll do the heavy lifting."

"Get ready!" Frederick shouted.

The soldiers lined up in a row, ready with their weapons. The Riders of Dawn and the Ylisseans were on a flat span of land, so they could see each other just well. Enough that the red soldiers halted a good half dozen meters in front of the Ylisseans. The leader, wearing red-stained armor that covered every part of his body except his head, moved his horse forward, moving a bit closer than the other riders. His weapon was a silver spear, with a rhombus shaped tip the size of his very large hand. It too was red, though not because it was painted, nor was it rusting.

"We have no quarrel with you Ylisseans! Leave, but those two are ours!" he shouted, pointing his spear at Link and Sheik.

"Then why did you attack the village?!" shouted Sully.

"We were liberating it from the Stonewall Knights' control!"

"Yet you attack our soldiers?!" Frederick shouted.

"They attacked us first! We had no desire to kill the Ylissean soldiers. But those two! We've been tracking them for two days. They attacked us! Make this easy and hand them over!"

"We're no allies to ruthless mercenaries!" Gregor shouted.

"Coming from the sellsword himself! How long has it been since we offered you?"

"We're not handing them over!" shouted Frederick.

"It looks like we'll have to take them by force then!" yelled the red leader. "Get them!"

The Riders of Dawn charged forward. The Ylisseans did the same.

"Here we go again," said Frederick.

* * *

 _...And that's the end. Of the whole thing. But I'm not leaving it at that, as there's more that I want to write, but it will be in another fanfiction._

 _-Kaz_


End file.
